Chapter 140: Use the rest of the money from buying books

"A Little Fish's new book is very interesting!"

When the waiter talked about Yao Xiaoyu's latest serialized story, his eyes lit up. He had been engrossed in the books written by Xiaoyu before, but this one was different. It really touched his heart. After reading it, he felt itchy and started counting down the days until the next issue.

"Have you ever read storybooks? Wenren Jieyou was someone who went into storybooks and helped people change their fate."

Seeing that the mother and daughter were trying to remain calm, but still had a hint of confusion in their eyes, the waiter suddenly realized that the two were new to Shanghai and that their understanding of the novel was mostly based on what he had just introduced, so he quickly filled in the gaps.

"A little fish's new book is called 'Strange Tales of Liaozhai: The Fate-Changing Record,' and Shangguan Jieyou is the girl who helps the people in the book change their fate."

Wei Sijie and Kong Fengzheng still only half understood, but at least they figured out the book title and characters. However, the waiter suddenly became tongue-tied and couldn't explain the plot to them even after a while, so they stopped insisting and just decided to buy the books to read themselves.

"After saying so much, you must be thirsty. Consider this your tea fee."

Wei Sijie pulled out a few silver coins, and the waiter's eyes lit up instantly. His mouth was tired, but he could just rest for a while and drink some water. It was such a good deal to get so much money in return!

"I'm interested in a set of books about a little fish, new or old, please find me a set. Is this enough money?"

The waiter glanced at the eight silver dollars Kong Fengming had placed on the table, swallowed hard, and finally shook his head. He didn't hide anything from the mother and daughter; while counting Yao Xiaoyu's works, he also counted the money on his fingers.

"The Biography of Ding Xian and the Story of Getting Rich are alright. Both of them have already been printed in their third and second batches, and you can buy them for about two silver dollars together. But the 'Swap Dolls' is newly printed, and it costs more than one silver dollar per book."

There's no such thing as Yao Xiaoyu's works being unpopular. The first two books were indeed priced at only a few cents, but capital always pursues profit, and a work of hundreds of thousands of words is no small amount. When it was printed for the second and third time, the paper, layout, and cover became more and more exquisite, and the price also rose accordingly. Yet, many people still bought them, paying one yuan and eighty cents for two books without batting an eye.

How much did you pay for it?

As Wei Sijie listened to the waiter's introduction, she suddenly asked a question. The waiter blinked and gave an embarrassed smile.

"I bought the two books secondhand from someone else when dysentery was rampant. They cost a total of one yuan."

The waiter bought a second printing, which the original owner had bought for a little over a dollar. It was in excellent condition, but they didn't lose out—the waiter traded garlic from his home for it at market price. After allicin became famous, the price of garlic skyrocketed and there was no market for it. After the book was exchanged for garlic, the price of garlic continued to rise, and in just three days it was worth the original price of the book.

During the pandemic, the only hard currencies were gold and effective medicine. The waiter took out all the leftover garlic from his house and collected all of Yao Xiaoyu's works except for Yang Shunxin's story. Both of them felt they had made a great deal, but this was not a common transaction. Wei Sijie gave up after hearing about it, and the waiter did not recommend that the two of them buy versions other than those published by the same publisher.

"The first two books are also available cheaply on the market, but they are only of two types: those cut from newspapers and those copied by someone else or by oneself. The former are several years old, and the newspapers are yellowed and the edges are not very good. The latter type of paper may be better, but it is still a gamble. Not to mention that the words are hard to read, if the person who copied the book is not careful and makes some mistakes, you will not be able to see them."

Kong Fengzheng was young, and frowned when she heard that the paper was being wasted. Wei Sijie sighed inwardly at her daughter's impatience, but nodded outwardly.

Whether the waiter wanted to earn more money or simply wanted to say more, he did hit the nail on the head regarding the two women's hidden worries. The mother and daughter weren't exactly showing off, but they weren't short of money either, so of course they wanted to buy the best things.

"There's no news of 'Back to the Ming Dynasty' being published yet. Like Yang Shunxin's story, it can only be bought from newspaper clippers."

Newspaper clippers are a profession that has emerged in Shanghai in recent years. They cut out news from newspapers, categorize them, bind them together, or paste them onto paper and then resell them for a small amount of money. This business is mostly supported by various novels. Some people who see serialized articles in newspapers and want to finish reading the previous articles will pay to buy the collection from the newspaper clippers. [1]

Articles also come in bestseller and slow-selling varieties. The story of a little fish is the top bestseller. Even if no one buys it for a while, people will still ask about it every three to five days. It is only after the work is published that the market for clippings of this story will gradually disappear.

"But if you have enough money, you can buy the clippings and handwritten copies of the story of Da Ming and Yang Shunxin together, and then exchange them for new ones after the official book is published. However, they are all very expensive, costing three silver dollars each."

If it weren't for the waiter bartering with people during this special period, he would never have been willing to spend such a large sum of money.

The newspaper, cut and pasted together, wasn't exactly pleasant to read, but it could be used as a proofreading tool for a handwritten copy. The mother and daughter weren't short of money, but they were curious about the waiter's last words.

"Yang Shunxin's story is valuable because it is useful, but why was he brought back to the Ming Dynasty?"

Kong Fengzheng asked with great interest, "Shanghai is really interesting. Even buying books can be done in so many ways. It's nothing like the Kong family. Not to mention their thoughts, even their clothes haven't changed for years!"

"Young lady, keep your voice down, don't talk about state affairs..."

The waiter lowered his voice in a mocking manner. Ever since he returned to the Ming Dynasty and was targeted, "Don't talk about state affairs" had become a widely circulated joke in Shanghai. When people went to teahouses for snacks and saw those big characters, they would ask with a smile, "Waiter, is your teahouse still 'Don't talk about state affairs' today?"

If the innkeeper is willing to participate, he will pretend to blush and say things like, "National affairs... how can they be national affairs? National affairs are also family affairs." If he is unwilling to get involved, the waiter will say these things. In any case, it will always cause the teahouse customers to burst into laughter, filling the air with a happy atmosphere.

The mother and daughter, new to Shanghai, were unaware of this joke, but that didn't stop them from getting into character and having a good time acting. The waiter then revealed the key to it:

"This book is a banned book in the Ming Dynasty."

The mother and daughter gasped in shock. Was this something to be said?!

"What can't be said? It's all in the past."

The waiter seemed unconcerned, but he actually lowered his voice. The guests at the grand hotel were a mixed bag. If any of the opponents heard him agreeing to return to the Ming Dynasty, they wouldn't need to say much; a single glance would be enough to send someone to their death in the Huangpu River.

"This book is very interesting. It's about a woman from the future who travels to the past, conquers the world, and becomes an empress. But someone has their eyes on this conquest, saying that the book is intended to rebel."

Wei Sijie and Kong Fengzheng once again contributed their share to global warming efforts, both for the newspaper that dared to publish such an article and for the small fish that managed to escape despite being targeted.

They're not stupid. If someone can openly say something like this, then the author is definitely safe. Shanghai is great. In Shandong, especially in the Kong family area, if someone is accused of treason, the author would be arrested on the very day. Whether the outcome is being shot in the back or committing suicide out of shame is another matter, but in any case, the author wouldn't survive.

After all, that was the Kong family, whose lineage had been dedicated to the Duke of Yansheng, a family of unwavering loyalty and integrity!

"Then what?"

Knowing the ending didn't mean she wasn't curious. After waiting a while, Wei Sijie mustered up her courage and asked.

"Then people criticized me for making a mountain out of a molehill."

The waiter shrugged. The disputes in the newspapers were particularly intense during that period, and even the debates were moved offline. They had been following the drama closely and had even watched several free-fighting matches. As for whether they were fighting over a small fish or over cuckolding incidents that were revealed during the argument, the waiter said he wasn't sure.

Big shots can have all sorts of fancy things to do, and it's not uncommon for them to end up in bed together after a fight.

"The argument raged in the newspapers for quite a while, but eventually, they probably got tired and both sides compromised. I won't say your work is divisive, and you shouldn't interfere with my private bans."

Don't talk about how it wasn't banned. The people's eyes are discerning. Previous books were announced for publication shortly after completion. Even if it was a little late, there would be a result before the new book was finished. And don't say that publishers were afraid. Miss Qiu Yidao from "Getting Rich" interfered and vilified Japan, but it didn't affect the grand scale of its publication.

After eliminating all the impossibilities, what remains is the truth: the authorities did not explicitly prohibit it, but they must have secretly made "Back to the Ming Dynasty" a banned book, otherwise there would always be publishers who were not afraid of death.

People are always curious about secrets. If this book had been published openly and honestly in the Ming Dynasty, they probably wouldn't have even glanced at it. But now that the book is suddenly banned, many people are interested in it, and the price has skyrocketed, even overshadowing new books.

"The latest Fate-Changing Records are cheap to collect, and the gold-patterned bowl isn't too expensive either, but the earlier ones..."

The waiter didn't finish his sentence. The mother and daughter started doing mental math: the first two books were almost two yuan, the third one was a little over one yuan, and the version of Back to the Ming Dynasty and Yang Shunxin was at least three yuan... Eight yuan really wasn't enough.

Kong Fengzheng shook her mother's sleeve, and Wei Sijie added twelve silver dollars to make it a round number for her daughter.

"Once you buy a complete copy of the book, send it over. Also, take the two clippings and the handwritten copy. Then, find someone to go to Jinchaixu's place and deliver a message to a woman surnamed Kong, saying that Gardenia has arrived in Shanghai and is waiting for her at the Grand Hotel."

Gardenia is a code word for the Kong sisters. Kong Fengming once wrote a letter to her sister, saying that the fragrance of gardenia is very strong and spreads everywhere without restraint. Kong Fengzheng found it interesting and told her sister in the letter that she had a new name: Gardenia Hermit.

Kong Fengming didn't want to call his younger sister "Laywoman," so he simply called Kong Fengzheng "Gardenia." This nickname was only used in secret correspondence, and while others didn't know the significance, Kong Fengming understood it immediately.

"...We came to Shanghai in a hurry and didn't prepare any toiletries. Find two good sets as soon as possible and bring them over. You've worked hard running errands. If you have any money left over, use it yourself."

The waiter strained his ears and finally caught the key words. After confirming that the silver dollars were not inlaid with copper coins, he smiled more brightly than a flower, answered them in unison, and ran out with great enthusiasm.

-----------------------

Author's Note: This is a story told from the perspectives of two people, showing how others see the little fish. Tomorrow, the mother and daughter will read a new story, and then it will be the little fish's turn to shine.

————

[1] Clipper: I couldn't find this profession when I was researching, so I made it up.