Chapter 141: Selling Coil Factory

Seeing that Zhao Sicheng didn't say anything, Yang Xin thought that he was too embarrassed to speak, so he said generously:

"How about one hundred taels? It's enough for a gardener like you to have a comfortable life."

Seeing that Zhao Sicheng still didn't speak, Yang Xin sighed and said:

"Three hundred taels. Master Zhao, I advise you not to be too greedy. Otherwise, if I regret it, you won't have anywhere to cry."

"What do you think of Wanwan?" Zhao Sicheng suddenly looked at him seriously, with suppressed anger in his eyes.

"She is a human being, not something to be bought and sold, and others have no right to push her around."

Yang Xin was stunned.

Is this little gardener out of his mind?

Or does he have no idea what three hundred taels of silver means?

That was money he couldn't save up in several lifetimes, but he didn't want it, just for a woman?

Zhao Sicheng was not a fool. Having said that, he naturally understood Yang Xin's purpose.

"That Mr. Sheep or Mr. Pig, let me advise you, if you want to pursue a girl, you should do it openly and sincerely, don't use these little tricks, it's shameful for a grown man.

But I kindly advise you not to put this thought on Xiao Wan."

Yang Xin seemed to have heard something interesting and said with a smile: "Oh, are you going to declare war on me?"

Are you sick? Zhao Sicheng looked at Yang Xin with disdain.

"What kind of war are you talking about? Wan Wan'er doesn't even look down on ugly idiots like you who have no substance. Hurry up and wash your face and go to sleep!"

I am speechless. How could he not understand his own wife?

It turns out that it’s more satisfying to learn how Wanwan curses.

After Zhao Sicheng finished cursing, he turned and left, leaving Yang Xin confused and shocked.

"What did he just say?"

The follower shook his head to indicate that he didn't understand.

Yang Xin recalled it carefully and seemed to hear words like "ugly", "lacking substance", and "idiot".

Although I don’t know what melon rind is, it’s definitely not a good thing.

Yang Xin's face became increasingly gloomy.

This kid really doesn't know his place.

…

In the blink of an eye, it was already the beginning of August.

The fragrance of osmanthus began to fill the air in Jiangzhou City, and clusters of golden osmanthus flowers began to bloom in the streets.

Jiangzhou is located in the south of Daliang, with numerous rivers crisscrossing nearby, and water transportation is particularly developed.

The academy examination was a county-level examination, with each county setting up its own examination hall, and was often smaller in scale.

The provincial examination was held every three years and gathered the number of people in a state, so a special tribute academy was set up, which was held every three years and was large enough to accommodate tens of thousands of candidates.

Zhaoping County was the seat of Jiangzhou Prefecture, and the provincial examination hall was located in Zhaoping County.

Students from all counties who participated in the provincial examinations had already received gifts from the county magistrates, which were called "guest expenses". If they were far away from Zhaoping County, they had to set out in advance, either by land or by water, to arrive in Zhaoping County in advance and find a post station to stay.

At this time, the river outside Jiangzhou City was unusually bustling, with rows of ships coming and going. Many of the boats had flags flying that read "Jiangzhou County Examination by Imperial Order", which would allow them to enjoy reduced customs duties, and corresponding discounts on travel and accommodation fees.

In order to ensure the condition of the candidates, Longchang Academy started its vacation a few days in advance. Students can choose to stay in the academy or go back home to study.

However, most students still choose to stay in the academy. First, Longchang Academy is located in Zhaoping County, not too far from the Imperial Examination Hall. Second, the learning atmosphere in the academy is better than at home, and students can consult the teacher in time when they encounter problems.

On the third day of the Lunar New Year, Zhu Lan, Qiao Youyou and Xiao Wan left Longchang Academy early in the morning and headed towards the scroll factory in Jiangzhou City.

"It's really strange that we have to buy the examination papers ourselves for the provincial examination!" Qiao Youyou said in a relaxed tone as he played with the pebbles in his hand.

Zhu Lan nodded and said, "Yes, the provincial examination is very strict. You must use the official paper sold by the designated paper-selling factory of the government office to answer your questions. Otherwise, the examination office will not accept your paper at all."

Qiao Youyou stuck out her tongue and said cleverly, "But I think the official paper is nothing special, and the price is several times that of ordinary paper!

If you ask me, even if you buy ordinary paper and cut it into normal size, they won’t be able to tell the difference.”

Zhu Lan smiled and said, "Where did you listen to what Ouyang Jianyuan told you? We will buy rolls of paper later and ask for a certificate from the roll-seller. We will hand the rolls of paper and the certificate together to the receiving office.

On the day of the exam, the examination office will distribute answer sheets to the candidates according to their names in the examination room. "

"I was just thinking about it. Selling official paper is really a very profitable business. I'll ask for directions when I have a chance. I also want to sell it, hehe."

While chatting and laughing, the three of them had already arrived at the rolling mill.

It is said to be a paper mill, but in fact it is the largest paper merchant in Jiangzhou City. With the authorization from the government, it would change its signboard during the provincial examinations and specialize in selling paper used in the provincial examinations.

Each candidate needs to buy three sets of paper, each set consisting of several sheets of draft paper and more than ten pages of red-lined paper for copying.

There are many people coming to buy papers. The test paper factory has already divided the papers into portions. Candidates only need to pick up the papers in front of the door, then queue up to pay and receive the paper purchase certificate.

Zhu Lan and the other two received the papers and lined up while talking.

The team was moving forward very quickly, and it was almost their turn, but the candidate who was carrying a bag and standing in front of Zhu Lan suddenly had a problem.

"What? Forty cents per portion, a total of one hundred and twenty cents!? This, this..."

The cashier pointed to the sign at the door and said, "Look, isn't it clearly written there? I'm wondering if you have enough money with you. There are so many people waiting behind you!"

"Look, look again, Rong Xiaosheng..."

The candidate obviously did not bring enough money. He searched his body and bag but could not find a single cent extra. He was so anxious that he was sweating profusely.

The shopkeeper urged even more, and the people in the queue behind him began to complain.

"Boss, I'll pay for him first." Zhu Lan took out his purse and paid the candidate's money. Only then was the team able to continue moving forward.

After several people left the team, the candidate bowed to Zhu Lan repeatedly to express his gratitude.

"This lady, I am Duan Wenqing, thank you so much for saving me today.

I only have this hundred coins on me, young lady, please keep them first. For the rest, I am willing to write an IOU and will return it to you in a few days!"

Duan Wenqing said this and went to find paper and pen.

Zhu Lan stopped him and said, "It's just a dozen coins, so there's no need to bother."

Duan Wenqing still insisted on writing the IOU, so Zhu Lan let him do it.

While Duan Wenqing was writing the IOU, she took a look at him and saw some stains on the hem of his robe, which seemed to have not been washed for a few days. There were also water stains on his cloth shoes, which made him look like he was exhausted and had just come along the waterway.

"Brother Duan, are you a candidate from another county?"

Duan Wenqing was startled, then looked at his feet, and smiled a little embarrassedly: "Young lady, you are really observant. I am from Long'an County, Jiangzhou Prefecture. Hey, this IOU... May I ask your name?"

"Zhu Lan."

Duan Wenqing nodded and wrote on the paper "I owe Zhu Lan eighteen cents".

Qiao Youyou, who was standing by, was somewhat surprised and asked, "You are carrying a bag, so you must have just arrived. Didn't your county magistrate give you travel expenses before you set out? How come you only have so little money left?"