Chapter 449: Surname Xiao

Only then did everyone notice that there were many books on the bookshelf next to them.

When the scholars saw those books, they were stunned.

Is this really a milk tea dessert shop and not a bookstore?

Everyone who studies in the academy is a book lover.

Of course, everyone knows how precious books are.

They glanced at it and saw some book titles that they had never seen before.

"A Brief Account of the Strategies of the Warring States, On the Six Kingdoms... The Analects of Confucius, Journey to the West (Part 1)..."

They were all stunned. They had really never read such a book or heard of such a title.

Six Kingdoms Theory, which six kingdoms?

Strategies of the Warring States, where did the Warring States come from?

Shen Yueyao knew that some books would cause a sensation if they were written.

Moreover, this is a completely fictional ancient world, which is different from the history of the technological age.

So if it were written without the Warring States Period and the Six Kingdoms, it would be shocking.

Although the emperor protects them, they still have to keep a low profile sometimes.

Therefore, Shen Yueyao only included some of the classic stories in it, which will not cause a political sensation when read.

Just some enlightening wisdom.

"Excuse me, can we borrow it to read?"

Books are very important to everyone.

The reason why such scholarly families have such a rich heritage is that they have books passed down from generation to generation.

It is a very famous thing for a family to have a large collection of books.

They didn't know that this milk tea dessert shop had so many good-looking books.

Or a book they had never heard of or seen before.

They asked cautiously when they asked.

Because bookstores don’t lend books easily, you have to pay money and provide a deposit before you can borrow a book.

But they can watch it in the store.

The store manager had already heard the boss' instructions, so he knew how to answer.

"Our boss bought these books at his own expense and put them here for your convenience."

“Anyone who truly reads and cherishes books can read them for free.”

"But you can only read it for free in the store and you can't take it away."

When the scholars heard this, they were stunned and suspected that they had heard it wrong.

Can I still read books for free?

“Can I really read books for free?”

"Did we hear correctly?"

"Is it really possible to watch it without spending any money?"

The store manager smiled and said, "Of course, our owner opened the store so that everyone can have a place to relax and read, so he created this environment."

"There are private rooms upstairs where you can read. However, when you leave the room, you need to put the book back on the shelf. You can't take it away."

In fact, the environment in the hall is also very quiet, which does not affect reading at all.

They didn't expect that this store not only had a good environment, but also had such books.

The key is that the owners of the stores are so good.

No wonder she is Lord Su’s wife.

No wonder she was conferred the title of Sixth-Rank Lady by the Emperor. Her mind and realm are incomparable to ordinary people.

Everyone felt a little embarrassed.

But I was still attracted by the books, so I ordered milk tea and bread first, then quickly took a book and found a place to sit down and read.

Sitting down in the corner, a scholar was stunned. "Hey, why is it soft?"

The store manager explained, "This is a sofa. Some customers like to sit on a soft sofa and read to relax, while others prefer to read on a hard chair."

There are sofas and chairs in the private room.

There are sofas and chairs in the hall. You can sit on the sofa if you want, or on the chair if you want.

"It's so soft, it's amazing, I don't know how they made it."

Whether we sleep on a bed, eat or read, we sit on a hard chair and sleep on a hard bed.

I've never seen this kind of sofa before.

There was a young boy, about sixteen years old, with a childish heart. He sat on it and it kept rocking gently. There was a child's curious look on his face, and his eyes were bright with excitement.

The store manager is used to it.

When the store first opened, many customers were shocked when they came to sit on the sofa, but later they became curious and excited.

I also asked if I could buy a sofa from their store.

Of course, their boss is not in the furniture business, so he doesn't sell these.

If the owner is in the furniture business and only sells sofas, the business will definitely be very popular.

"Your boss is really amazing."

I heard that it was the owner of this store who cured Shangguan Kang's illness.

They all knew the situation of this junior fellow apprentice.

They were also very worried, but they never expected that the junior brother was cured so quickly.

Then today, the junior brother asked them to come down the mountain and visit this store.

They didn't want to come out.

Although the college has relaxed its restrictions, they still want to study in the college.

But my junior brother said that there is pinyin here.

They were very excited when they heard the pinyin, and then they thought that their junior brother wanted to come over, so they followed him over.

Who would have thought this store would be full of surprises?

It's as if the store was tailor-made for them.

You can read, eat and drink.

Of course, some people like to drink tea. This store also has tea, and the tea in the store is cheaper than what they buy in the tea shops in the inner city.

And they can have unlimited refills, which makes them very excited.

This environment is perfect for studying.

There are a few students who are still obsessed with learning pinyin and how to spell.

Some people can't help but want to read the book first,

I thought I would take a look first and then study.

But once they saw it, they simply couldn't stop. They were so mesmerized that they forgot about the environment and the story.

Especially Journey to the West, which is a story they have never understood.

After seeing the world of demons and monsters, they felt more emotional and liked Sun Wukong more.

“It’s… so beautiful!”

“I have never read such a wonderful book before.”

"The owner of this store is simply a god."

"He knows everything, and the murals are beautiful too."

Everyone was so engrossed in the book that they didn't even bother to talk.

They studied at Lulin Academy and had no hobbies or activities on weekdays.

My favorite thing is reading.

When they see interesting books, their joy is indescribable.

It’s like you are wandering in the world of book stories.

Shangguan Kang saw his fellow brothers reading books or studying pinyin, and realized that it was none of his business.

He sat down on the chair next to him and waited for a while to drink milk tea and eat bread.

He looked around and said, “Sister Shen, this store is really good, the environment is great, and I feel very relaxed as soon as I sit down.”

Shen Yueyao said: "That's because you haven't seen other stores, right?"

Shangguan Kang said: "When I was a kid, I saw and went to many shops, but those shops were very noisy, and the atmosphere here is different."

“Just looking at it gives me a very comfortable feeling.”

“It’s also because you are talented, Sister Shen, that you can pretend like this.”

He just heard what the store manager said and knew that this store was designed and decorated by Sister Shen herself, and she also arranged these things herself.

It's just nice to look at.

Shen Yueyao looked at Shangguan Kang's expression and knew that he liked it here.

"If you like, you can come down the mountain and play here often. The students from your academy can also read books and discuss knowledge together."

Shangguan Kang said, "Some of my senior brothers will be leaving the academy this summer and won't be studying there anymore."

Shen Yueyao was stunned for a moment and said, "You left the academy and are not going to study anymore?"

"Some of them failed the imperial examinations and decided to quit the academy to find something to do. Most of them went home to help their families."

To put it bluntly, these people were able to study at Lulin Academy because they had some family background and connections, which meant they were going home to inherit the family business.

Shen Yueyao's expression changed as she listened, and she asked, "Is there no such thing as not being able to find something to do?"

"Yes, some of them don't want to work with their families, but there's not much else they can do. They feel it's a waste of their talents to work as bookkeepers for a store, and they don't want to sign a contract with the store."

"Either you want to be a manager or you have to listen to the boss."

"Even if they open their own shops, some of them don't understand business matters. Since they are all educated people, they should study something related to their studies."

Shen Yueyao asked, "Could it be that some of them want to open a private school?"

Shangguan Kang said: "It's not that easy to open a private school. There are many academies near the capital, and most of them still send students to academies. Some people are good at reading, but they may not be able to teach if you ask them to."

If students who go to private schools cannot learn anything, parents will not be willing to send them to study.

"Of course, this is only a small number of people. Most people have their families arrange things for them."

Shen Yueyao's eyes sparkled as she said, "If I want to start a college newspaper and hire a few people to run the newspaper, how about giving me two taels of silver every month?"

"Of course, everyone can do these things in the academy. Just take time off to run the newspaper."

Shangguan Kang was confused and asked, "Sister Shen, why do you want to run a newspaper? Is a newspaper a document?"

Their college will also compile the good articles written by everyone and post them on the bulletin board in the yard. Several senior brothers will also compile some good articles together and ask bookstores to make copies of them and compile them into a book.

Shen Yue said: "It's different. You'll know when I get one later."

Although Shangguan Kang didn't understand what this meant, he said, "As long as it's related to studying, everyone should be willing to do it, not to mention that there are two taels of silver every month."

Shen Yueyao said: "Actually, it can be completed when you have time."

Shen Yueyao's real purpose is to publish a newspaper in the Great Yan Dynasty.

But running a newspaper is not that simple and easy.

So he planned to start with the college newspaper and expand the content little by little.

Although many people in the Great Yan Dynasty were illiterate, there were scholars in every place. There were many scholars in the capital, so it was easy to open a store and put an advertisement on it.

While Shen Yueyao was talking to Shangguan Kang, the staff brought over ham, bread and milk tea.

Shangguan Kang forgot to speak when he smelled the fragrance.

Shen Yueyao smiled and said, "How about trying it first?"

Shangguan Kang felt hungry just looking at the bread.

He picked it up and took a bite, and was stunned when he bit the ham sausage.

He blinked hard and tasted the flavor

“It’s delicious, Sister Shen, what is this thing, why is it so delicious?”

Shangguan Kang was stunned by the taste of the ham sausage.

He stared blankly, thinking that he had never seen anything like this before.

Shen Yueyao looked at Shangguan Kang's expression and knew that he liked to eat sausages.

"This is ham sausage, specially made in our workshop and provided to the store for the kitchen to make bread with. It's quite popular, and most people who come to the store will order this flavor of bread."

Shangguan Kang said in amazement: "Sister Shen, this ham sausage is really delicious. I have never seen anything like it."

Shen Yueyao said: "You can't eat too much at once now. If it's delicious, you can only eat one or two at a time. Don't overeat. After a few months of recuperation, when your body is completely healed, you can eat more."

Shangguan Kang knew that Sister Shen was doing this for his own good, so he didn't worry about it.

He ate the ham bread and drank the milk tea with an expression of enjoyment.

“Sister Shen, it was thanks to you that you came to our college at that time, otherwise I wouldn’t have known that this store existed.”

Shen Yueyao spoke frankly, "When I bought the farm here, I thought there were two academies on the mountain. I thought if the students from the academies came to the store to spend money, the business would be very good, so I built this store to create a learning environment, and it is also convenient for the scholars from the academy to come and study."

Shen Yueyao herself likes to study in a good environment.

That was the case when she was studying in the technological age.

Shangguan Kang said, "I see that my brothers really like this place. Judging from their expressions, they are attracted by the books."

While eating, Shangguan Kang seemed to think of something and said, "By the way, Sister Shen, you saved someone at the gate of our college that day. That person was Dean You of Yunting Academy."

Shen Yueyao was stunned and paused in her movements.

"The dean of Yunting Academy?"

Shen Yueyao really didn't expect that she just happened to save someone.

"After Dean You woke up, he said that a girl saved him. He asked my father, but my father didn't know. He asked the guard and found out that it was you, Sister Shen."

"Dean You also said he would thank you in person later, but he's not feeling well and has gone home to recuperate. I heard even the doctor said it was miraculous and that he's feeling much better."

"Anyway, because you, Sister Shen, saved Dean You, the relationship between our two academies has eased."

Shen Yueyao showed a puzzled look and asked, "Is the relationship between your two academies not very good?"

Shangguan Kang explained, "People from the two academies don't interact with each other. They used to fight over local territories and students, so the relationship is strained."

"But Dean You is well-educated and has great prestige in the academy. When they learned that Sister Shen had saved their dean, they felt that Sister Shen had a good relationship with our academy, and the people from the two academies started talking to each other when they met."

After hearing this, Shen Yueyao touched her chin and wondered if she could also win over the scholars from Yunting Academy.

Shen Yueyao and Shangguan Kang also learned about the affairs of the academy.

However, she also took Shangguan Kang's pulse and examined his body. "Your body is fine, you've just been too weak over the years, and the herbs you've taken are too nourishing. You're too weak to take care of yourself. You still need to take good care of yourself."

"But if it weren't for those precious herbs, you wouldn't have survived until the poison was removed."

Shangguan Kang nodded and said, "Thank you, Sister Shen. I can understand my father now."

Shangguan Kang looked at Shen Yueyao and said, “But Sister Shen, I feel like I’ve met a relative when I met you.”

Shen Yueyao was stunned for a moment, and she thought that she felt the same way.

Shen Yueyao was stunned for a moment, and looked carefully at Shangguan Kang's expression.

Before, Shangguan Kang was too thin and his skin was very pale, and almost nothing could be seen.

Perhaps because his health has improved during this period, Shangguan Kang has gained some weight.

You can actually see some of the bones and features.

After looking at it carefully, her mind changed.

No way, why do I feel that Shangguan Kang’s eyes are a bit similar to Third Brother’s?

Shen Yueyao opened her mouth in surprise.

Looking at Shen Yueyao’s surprised expression, Shangguan Kang said: “Sister Shen, don’t get me wrong, I don’t mean anything else, I just think Sister Shen is very good.”

Shen Yueyao recovered from her shock and said, "It's okay. I think you're fine too."

Shen Yueyao's thoughts drifted to Xinghua Village at this time.

She thought of some unusual things in her parents' daily behavior.

Shen Yueyao thought, could there be another life experience?

Shen Yueyao's expression shifted, and she asked, "What's your mother's last name?"

Shen Yueyao had seen Shangguan Bin before, but she didn't think she was familiar with him.

Maybe his mother is related to his parents.

Shangguan Kang's expression changed, as if he had thought of something, and said with a somewhat depressed look: "My mother's surname is Xiao."

Shen Yueyao's eyes flashed. The surname Xiao is not common.

In the capital, there is only one person with the surname Xiao, and that is the former Marquis Xiao.

However, Lord Xiao's family was killed that year.

Because the late emperor was afraid, he found trumped-up charges to harm General Wei and Marquis Xiao, and killed Marquis Xiao's entire family. Some members of the Xiao family also died on the battlefield.

"Marquis Xiao's Mansion?"

Shangguan Kang's face turned pale, but he nodded.

"Because the Xiao family was feared by the late emperor at the time, their property was confiscated and their families were killed. My mother was a daughter who married out and was not affected. But because of the incident at the Xiao family, my mother fell seriously ill and never made it back."

Speaking of this, Shangguan Kang's eyes turned red and his voice trembled.

He had never said these words to anyone else, and he didn't know why he could say them to Sister Shen in front of him.

Maybe because she saved his life, or maybe because he felt a close feeling towards her like family.

It’s like the feeling of seeing my mother when I was a child.

There is a natural sense of trust.

At this moment, Shen Yueyao also thought of the young man she rescued that night, whose surname seemed to be Wei.

Could it be that he is a descendant of the Wei family?

Weren’t all the members of the Wei family killed?

However, Emperor Yan Hanxi has now helped to redress the injustice and will not do anything to the Wei and Xiao families.

Shen Yueyao comforted him softly: "Don't worry, the situation is no longer the same as before."

Shangguan Kang thought, it would be great if the current emperor could ascend the throne earlier. In that case, neither the Xiao family nor the Wei family would be in trouble.