Chapter 31 Huimin Bookstore Wasn't a Date After All

"The only one I know well is Mingze. He doesn't need me to teach him anymore. He can start immediately if he agrees now. Besides, raising a child takes too much effort. What if I find out later that he's not a good person? Wouldn't that be a waste?"

"Uncle Yan probably thinks the same way," Jiang Yuzhi said quietly.

Xiao Ji remained silent, his face growing increasingly gloomy, almost as if he were still serving as Judge Lu in the underworld, his resentment overflowing.

"Hehehehehe, this is no reason for the mortal underworld to target only me."

Bai Yan had never heard his uncle laugh like that before, and it gave him the creeps.

If even the Emperor couldn't do anything about it, Jiang Yuzhi certainly couldn't either. She agreed that Bai Yan would come to help in two days, and then she left the palace.

No sooner had they left than Xiao Ji summoned Eunuch Xu.

"I need to leave the palace to change my clothes."

"Your Majesty, this memorial..."

“Summon the Grand Secretary and tell him that I have almost finished handling it. Order him to review it again to see if there are any oversights.”

"This servant will go immediately."

Grand Secretary Zhang also had a tough time. He was ordered to join the Imperial Secretariat. Not to mention that after the emperor ascended the throne, he launched a massive crackdown on corrupt officials, resulting in a shortage of officials in the three provinces and six ministries, and the imperial examinations had not yet been reopened, so there was a serious shortage of manpower.

Even a Grand Secretary is like a skilled cook without rice; he still has to enter the palace from time to time to handle government affairs for the Emperor.

Despite his sympathy, Eunuch Xu still sided with his master and quickly ordered his eunuchs to leave the palace to deliver a message.

Crossroads, Huimin Bookstore.

The Bai family carriage was originally going to take Jiang Yuzhi directly back to her shop, but at her instruction, it was changed to go to the bookstore instead.

Bai Yan knew he couldn't stop his wife from showing filial piety to his uncle, so he resigned himself to going along. In any case, his image in his wife's heart had long been crushed by Uncle Yan.

He just likes reading storybooks. Uncle Yan is also a man, doesn't he also like reading them?

The bookstore owner's surname was Jin. As his name suggested, he had a shrewd appearance and looked like a master at making money. He narrowed his eyes and, seeing Bai Yan arrive, happily went to greet him.

"Oh my, Young Master Bai, you look so different after all these months."

Everyone in the capital knows that flattering other nobles involves praising their talent, appearance, and demeanor, wishing them wealth and advancement. But Young Master Bai is different; his mother is a princess, his father is a royal merchant, and his uncle is an official.

He has wealth, power, good looks, and an air of nobility, but his only flaw is his poor physique. To flatter someone, you have to praise what they don't have but want.

Manager Jin was well aware of this, but Young Master Bai was indeed more energetic than he had been a few months ago.

Bai Yan: "This is Manager Jin. What kind of things does Yu Zhi want to buy? He can find them for you."

Shopkeeper Jin: "A new customer has arrived. What kind of movie would you like to watch, Miss? I don't have everything here, but whatever you want, I can find a way to get it for you."

Jiang Yuzhi did not speak rashly. She smiled politely at Manager Jin and first pulled Bai Yan aside to whisper to him.

Jiang Yuzhi: "Mingze, what kind of things do you usually buy? Last time I saw Uncle Yan, you guys probably liked about the same things."

Bai Yan froze. He had bought it in private to read, and now it was a bit embarrassing to say it out loud. The name that Qian Shengqian had given to the storybook was too straightforward.

Bai Yan: "I don't read much. Why don't you, Yu Zhi, just make money from money? Buy back all the stories from the novel 'The Storyteller' that Uncle Yan borrowed from me last time, and let Uncle Yan choose for himself?"

Jiang Yuzhi: "Alright."

Manager Jin watched their retreating figures with a smile, knowing that a big order was about to come in. Young Master Bai was a wealthy man, and every time he came back, he made a fortune. The young lady next to him didn't seem to be short of money either.

The human and the ghost made a deal.

Bai Yan: "Shopkeeper, bring me a copy of all the books on making money from money, with leather covers."

Shopkeeper Jin: "Alright, Miss, you have excellent taste. Money makes money is our best-selling product. Many young ladies from wealthy families come here to have their products customized. Young Master Bai has also placed an order with us."

He kept talking, typing away on the abacus while instructing the bookstore's clerks to move books from the warehouse.

Jiang Yuzhi became increasingly curious about this money-making machine. She had loved reading storybooks in her previous life, and she had already finished reading the cheap booklet that Uncle Yan had given her.

It also tells the story of scholars and young ladies, generals and princesses, but the plot is different from that of ordinary storybooks.

She had mostly read stories of down-on-his-luck scholars and wealthy young ladies eloping, with the scholar eventually becoming the top scholar in the imperial examination and marrying the lady.

"Money Makes Money" tells the story of a down-on-his-luck scholar who falls in love with a noble lady. He works hard, engaging in both business and studies, eventually becoming incredibly wealthy and the president of a chamber of commerce, while also passing the imperial examination with top honors.

The young lady's family felt that the poor scholar was not good enough for her, but the young lady was moved by the scholar's determination, and the scholar did not let her down. After they got married, the young lady passed the imperial examination and became a female official. The couple worked together to serve the court, solve mysteries, and bring benefits to the people.

Jiang Yuzhi was deeply moved by what she saw, and immediately thought that making money from money must be something extraordinary.

The waiter brought out a stack of six or seven books, the top one being "The Domineering Female Official Falls in Love with Me," which was probably the booklet she had read but hadn't even copied down the title.

Jiang Yuzhi's lips twitched. The title of the book was indeed a bit difficult to pronounce, but she really wanted to read it. She wanted one copy for Uncle Yan and one for herself, so she simply asked the shopkeeper to bring out another set.

The bookstore owner was beaming from ear to ear. "If you like to read, Miss, just add a little more money and we can have whatever you want. These few books are only for sale to the public."

"Not for now."

Manager Jin didn't think much of being rejected. That's how young ladies are. They'll refuse openly, but a couple of days later they'll secretly send their maids to come back quietly.

Back in the carriage, Bai Yan didn't bring A Zhao with him when he came out; he only had a coachman with him.

There were more than a dozen books in total. Jiang Yuzhi carried one stack, the coachman carried another, and Bai Yan wanted to help, but his wife firmly refused. The books were quite heavy, and what if they fell because they couldn't be moved?

There's still some time before evening.

Zhao Pingfeng came down from the second floor of the shop and was doing the accounts with Zhiyi.

Managing a shop is an easy job, especially if the shop has no business.

Four ghosts, one living dead, one mortal, a cat ghost, and a dog—the funeral shop is severely overstaffed.

When Zhi'er saw them return, she quickly took the book from the coachman and told him to drive the carriage to a place where it wouldn't be in the way.

Jiang Yuzhi: "Move the books to the study, and find the brazier again."

Zhi Er: "Yes, Miss."

Burn the book for Uncle Yan, so he won't be bored and go kidnap Xiao Ji to the underworld to judge cases.

Xiao Ji didn't go back to the underworld every night these past few years, otherwise his physical body would have given out long ago and he would have died suddenly.

Most of the time, it was because the cases piled up too much that the Great Emperor came to arrest him. Later, he started going back to the Underworld every few days to deal with the important ones, while the less urgent ones were left to pile up.

If the emperor couldn't stand it, he would find another ghost to fill in for a while.

Madam Zhou is combing Di Ting's fur.

She had never been with the young lady who had taken her and her son in before. Nervously, she wiped her hands on her clothes and stood up awkwardly. "Miss."

“Madam Zhou, everything is fine at the shop now. You can go home and do your own work.” Jiang Yuzhi noticed her unease.

"Thank you, Miss. I'll leave as soon as I finish combing A-Ting's fur."

Di Ting, spoiled beyond belief, wagged its tail and patted Zhou Niangzi's leg, displeased that she had stopped.

I traveled back and forth between the palace and the city, and also visited a bookstore; it was well past lunchtime.

Jiang Yuzhi entered the kitchen and then remembered that Bai Yan, who was always by her side, had not yet had lunch.

Jiang Yuzhi placed the book she was about to burn on the stove. "Are you hungry?"

Finally remembering himself, Bai Yan smiled gently and reservedly, "I'm fine." This was accompanied by a long, drawn-out rumble in his stomach.

Bai Yan's ears immediately turned red, and her cheeks and neck also became flushed.

He really didn't feel anything! He liked following his wife around, watching her busy herself, as if they had been getting along like this for a long time. But his belly didn't give him any face.

"Pfft, I forgot. I'll make you a bowl of noodles as an apology, okay?"

The book was moved to the corner of the kitchen, and Jiang Yuzhi took out the ingredients for Zhou's mother and son from the cupboard.

Just when things seemed hopeless, Bai Yan, having just lost face in front of his wife, was offered to cook for him. He casually agreed, "I'll start the fire."

"good."

While at the Jiang residence, Jiang Yuzhi had learned a bit from the cook, and her kneading skills were still there, though some rust was inevitable. However, she was more than capable of making a bowl of clear soup noodles.

Some of the embers in the stove were drawn into the brazier.

Bai Yan sat on a low stool to the side, savoring each strand of noodles in the bowl, which had only basic seasoning.

The flames engulfed the storybook; empowered by the ghost, it burned rapidly, sputtering sparks and crackling, but none of the creatures leaped out of the brazier.

Colorful sparks bounced around, like fireworks exploding in the sky, and the receiving ghost was clearly pleased.

Bai Yan ate slowly, and after finishing one piece, he still wanted to chat with Jiang Yuzhi, "The things sold in the ghost market are very mixed, some are real and some are fake. Yuzhi, is there anything you want?"

Jiang Yuzhi squatted down and burned the books. The orange-yellow flames gave her a touch of life. "Let's go and see what it's like. I've been in the mortal world for a while now, but I haven't really gone shopping properly yet."

Bai Yan remained silent, his chopsticks pausing as he picked up noodles. "The Ghost Market... isn't exactly a proper market."

Before Jiang Yuzhi could reply, "Ghost Market?"

Zhong Yuxiu brought snacks.

Upon learning that her friend had returned to Beijing, Zhong Yuxiu brought some newly made snacks to Jiang Yuzhi's door, wanting to hear about her experiences outside of Beijing.

Jiang Yuzhi: "Yuxiu, you've come at the right time. I was planning to have someone inform you later that we'd like to go to the ghost market together tonight."

Zhong Yuxiu: "Okay, the Ghost Market? Oh right, Young Master Bai, I brought some dried meat. Would you like some?"

She picked up one of the packets of oil paper, and the aroma of dried meat wafted towards her.

"Thank you for your kindness, Madam Zhong, but I cannot eat meat."

Bai Yan suddenly lost his appetite; it turned out his wife wasn't alone with him after all.

Jiang Yuzhi: "We'll sell some trinkets, both real and fake, and open late at night. Mingze, A-Ting, and I will ask Zhou Niangzi and the others later if they want to go. There are many of us, so it'll be safer."

Strictly speaking, they went together; the real ghost market was the one that truly lived up to its name.

Zhong Yuxiu: "Okay, okay."

Two young women were squatting together in front of the brazier, each holding a piece of dried meat, chattering excitedly about their anticipation for the evening's activities.

During group activities, Bai Yan was more focused on dating his wife than investigating cases in Zuo Huai.

Zhong Yuxiu asked Zhisi to tell the orphanage that she wouldn't be going back tonight and would be staying at Jiang Yuzhi's place.

Everyone was acting strangely, playing cards in the courtyard until late at night.

As dawn approached, Madam Zhou had already gone to bed. Zhao Pingfeng didn't care whether he went or not. He had a silver bracelet on his wrist to restrain him, and Jiang Yuzhi, not afraid that he would suddenly get angry, also wore it.

She was afraid of making a perfectly normal person stupid by keeping her locked up, since she was already a bit dull.

Finally, a large group set off together, while Zhiyi, Zhi'er, Zhi'san, and Zhisi stayed behind to guard the shop, saying they would go on their own the next day.

There are also Di Ting, Xiao Jin, Zhao Pingfeng, and Zhong Yuxiu.

In addition, there was Ah Zhao, who was worried about her young master.

Bai Yan initially didn't want to bring A Zhao, but then he thought that there were already so many people, so one more A Zhao wouldn't make a difference.

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Author's note: Jiang Yuzhi: They're all familiar faces.

Bai Yan: How come they know it better than I do?

The court section was pieced together from various sources.

I've booked a new cover, it'll be changed in a few days, and I can't wait to show it off.