"That's good. Judging from the rosy complexions and high spirits of the two laymen, it seems they have something to celebrate?"

The Taoist priest looked at Li Si and Wang Xiao and couldn't help but laugh as he asked.

Wang Xiao hurriedly replied, "Replying to the Daoist Master, today is payday at the factory, so I'm in a very good mood!"

"Ah~, so that's how it is. Wealth should not be forgotten, for it is a gift from our supreme sovereign (Emperor)!"

The Taoist priest smiled and nodded, then turned towards the palace and bowed deeply.

"We thank our Holy Lord for the blessings bestowed upon us!"

Li Si and Wang Xiao also bowed respectfully towards the direction of the palace.

After bowing, the Taoist priest turned to the two of them, smiled, and nodded.

"Alright, you guys should hurry up and get back to work!"

"Alright! Farewell, Daoist Master!"

The two smiled and nodded, then bowed to the Taoist priest before heading north of the city again.

"Newspapers for sale! Newspapers for sale! Watch as the Vice Minister of the Court of State Ceremonial takes you to see a different kind of grassland scenery!"

"What exactly did the Han envoys experience on their mission to the Xianbei? Let Today's Times tell you the story!"

Just as the Taoist priest passed by the two men, a clear, childlike voice suddenly reached their ears.

The three of them turned their heads at the same time and saw an eight or nine-year-old child carrying a stack of newspapers, running towards them with cheerful steps.

"Gentlemen, would you like to buy a newspaper? This one has an article about the experiences of the Vice Minister of the Court of State Ceremonies on his mission to the grasslands—it's quite fascinating!"

The child picked up a newspaper and, following the instructions given to him by the shopkeepers, began to sell the newspaper to the Taoist priest and Li Si.

"Oh? You mean, this contains stories about Han envoys?"

The Taoist priest looked at the child with curiosity and asked a question.

"Yes, it contains his experiences and observations. Would you like a copy?"

The newspaper boy nodded, his big, watery eyes looking at the Taoist priest with eager anticipation.

"Oh, how much does this newspaper cost?"

Hearing that it was about Chu Qian, the Taoist priest was quite interested and looked at the newspaper in the child's hand, asking about the price.

"Two coins a serving, would you like to buy some?"

The newspaper boy looked at the Taoist priest with hopeful eyes as he held up his newspaper.

He had been calling out for a while, and although he had attracted a lot of attention, very few people came to inquire about the price and buy, so far he hadn't sold a single one, which made him very frustrated.

"What...? You're saying the paper you have only sells for two coins a page?"

When Li Si heard the price quoted by the child, he couldn't help but exclaim in surprise, looking at the newspaper-selling child with disbelief.

In his memory, these papers were rare and valuable items, selling for fifty coins per page. Now that they were filled with writing, their price must be even higher.

Therefore, although he was very interested in Chu Qian's story, he had no intention of inquiring about it, because subconsciously he believed that he could not afford it.

Now that they know the newspaper only costs two coins a page, they naturally find it hard to believe.

"I'm really not lying to you, it's only two cents, why don't you buy one?"

Seeing this, the child looked at the Taoist priest and Li Si and the others with eager eyes.

"Alright then, give me one!"

Meeting the child's eager gaze, the Taoist smiled and then took out two five-zhu coins and handed them to the child.

"Thank you! I finally sold one!"

The child took the money, handed the newspaper to the Taoist priest, and couldn't help but laugh out loud with excitement.

"Hey kid, give me one too!"

Seeing that the Taoist priest had indeed bought a newspaper for only two coins, Li Si also took out two five-zhu coins and came to the child.

"Okay! Here you go!"

The child happily accepted the money from Li Si, then picked up a newspaper and handed it to Li Si.

"Old Li, why did you buy this? Even though you can read a little, you probably can't recognize all of these characters, can you?"

Looking at Li Si, who was beaming with joy while holding the newspaper, Wang Xiao asked with a puzzled expression.

"Hey~, although I can't recognize them all, I can recognize the general idea. I can ask the teacher at the factory to read them to me once and I'll remember them pretty well. Then I can take them home and teach my son to recognize the characters, right?"

Besides, do you know how expensive things with writing on them are outside? In the past, you couldn't buy something with so many words on it, not to mention a thousand coins, you couldn't even buy it for ten thousand coins. Among people like us, it could be a family heirloom!

"They're only selling for two coins now, why not buy them?"

As he spoke, Li Si chuckled and carefully placed the newspaper into his pocket.

"Hmm~, yes, yes, you're right! Spending two coins to buy a piece of paper covered in writing is definitely worth it!"

Hearing Li Si's words, Wang Xiao nodded in agreement.

Wang Xiao then spent two coins to buy a newspaper from the child.

"Tsk tsk tsk, with these characters, maybe one day my family will produce a scholar!"

Looking at the clear, neatly arranged words on the newspaper, and imagining her own child holding the newspaper and learning to read in the future, Wang Xiao's face showed a hopeful smile.

"Haha~, you're right. If our children can read and become scholars, that would truly bring honor to our ancestors!"

Li Si, who was standing to the side, couldn't help but laugh when he heard Wang Xiao's words.

The Taoist priest standing nearby, holding a newspaper, watched Li Si and Wang Xiao's excited expressions and suddenly had a flash of inspiration, thinking of an excellent way to spread his teachings.

Nowadays, most of the people in Luoyang have gone into work in factories and workshops. No longer worried about food and clothing, they have naturally begun to think about their children's future.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!