Chapter 9: Finding Information

Shopkeeper Sun thought about it and felt it was impossible.

How could Lord Jiang's family appear in this remote place?

Even if I come back, I should return home in glory.

How could this be...

"Excuse me, ma'am, what is your name and where do you live?"

Lu Qingyao was stunned.

Won’t anyone recognize you?

Could it be that Jiang Yunze owes money to someone else?

That’s all!

If it is a blessing, there will be no disaster; if it is a disaster, there will be no escape.

"My husband's surname is Jiang, and he lives in Taoxi Village."

Shopkeeper Sun's eyes lit up. "Madam, do you know Jiang Yunze from Taoxi Village... Lord Jiang?"

Lu Qingyao frowned, "Does Manager Sun know this Lord Jiang?"

"No, no, no, I'm just an ordinary person, how could I know Lord Jiang? I just heard of his great name for a long time, and I thought that you are from the same place, and your husband's family has the same surname as him, so maybe you know each other..."

Lu Qingyao held Jiang Miaomiao's hand tightly and said with a smile, "My family came to Taoxi Village to seek refuge with relatives. I have heard a little about this Lord Jiang. I think he is from the same clan, but I have never met him."

"I see!"

Shopkeeper Sun felt a little disappointed and changed the subject.

"Looking at the two young masters who are not even old enough, could it be that they are already reading these books?"

Lu Qingyao smiled and said, "I'm sorry to have made you laugh, Shopkeeper Sun. My son started learning early and has now finished reading the Four Books and started studying classics and history."

"Then this Three Character Classic..." Shopkeeper Sun glanced at the baby in her arms.

shook his head.

He must have been overthinking it.

Then I heard Lu Qingyao say, "My little girl loves listening to her brothers read, so I thought I could read her the Three Character Classic as a story."

Jiang Miaomiao: “…”

She likes listening to her brother reading. Which eye of her mother sees it?

It's obviously very hypnotic, okay?

I've only heard of starting to study from a young age, but I've never heard of starting from infancy.

Shopkeeper Sun's eyebrows twitched.

Such a small baby...

Are all the Jiang family members so gifted?

If his son were to marry a woman with the surname Jiang, would the child be smarter?

Lu Qingyao looked at Jiang Miaomiao, who was pouting, and quickly coaxed her, "Miaomiao, be good. Let your brother read it to you when you get home, okay?"

Jiang Miaomiao: ...

No! Don’t listen to the book!

Jiang Miaomiao waved her little fist in protest.

Lu Qingyao then remembered the important matter, "Shopkeeper Sun, how much are these books?"

"Except for the Three Character Classic, which is 300 wen per copy, the other three are 500 wen per copy, totaling 1,800 wen."

Compared with the capital, it is much cheaper.

Lu Qingyao took out the copper coins and gave them to him without hesitation.

Shopkeeper Sun took it and thought for a moment, "I wonder which famous teacher Madam has hired for the young master?"

Those who run a bookstore have always liked to make friends with celebrities and scholars. He just became the manager because he had nothing to do.

Lu Qingyao: "I'm not afraid of being laughed at by the shopkeeper. My son hasn't found a good teacher yet, so he can only study at home. I wonder if there are any famous teachers or scholars in Qingshi Town?"

Shopkeeper Sun smiled, his eyes revealing something unclear. "If Madam is here for Mr. Cui, then you might want to give up the idea."

"What do you mean?"

Shopkeeper Sun guessed correctly that Lu Qingyao had indeed come here for Mr. Cui.

"Mr. Cui is old now and rarely sees outsiders, let alone accepts disciples. If I act rashly, I'm afraid I won't even be able to see him..."

"Thank you, Manager Sun, for the reminder!" Lu Qingyao bowed while holding the baby.

She can actually meet Mr. Cui.

When my father returned to Beijing a few years ago, he saved Mr. Cui who was being attacked by bandits.

But when it comes to becoming a disciple, you cannot use it as a pretext to repay the favor.

Lu Qingyao rolled her eyes. "Are all the books in Shopkeeper Sun's bookstore handwritten?"

There are also hand-copied ones in the capital.

However, many scientific research books are almost all printed.

Seeing her ask this question, Shopkeeper Sun knew that she had an extraordinary background, so he couldn't help but chat with her for a few more words.

"Madam, you may not know that, except for the Four Books and Five Classics, which are printed, all other books are hand-copied. Although printing is convenient, it is relatively expensive. It requires a large amount of rosin and wax. Both the skills and craftsmen are very difficult to find..."

"Besides, here in our area, there aren't many people who can read and write, so we can't sell that many if we print them."

"That's right." Lu Qingyao nodded in agreement.

Jiang Miaomiao listened with her ears perked up, completely free of sleepiness.

So, in the era she traveled through, movable type printing already existed?

She could understand Manager Sun to some extent.

Not to mention that printing was expensive in ancient times, even in modern times, it is difficult to print a book or something.

A plate-making fee is inevitable.

If you print fewer copies, the cost of each book will increase dramatically.

It is certainly not cost-effective.

Lu Qingyao looked at Jiang Ziyan thoughtfully, "I wonder how much you'd be paid for hand-copying a book?"

"Madam, do you want to copy it yourself or..." Manager Sun felt that his question was a bit redundant.

No matter how talented this child is, he is not capable of copying books.

Being good at reading is one thing, but being good at writing is another.

"Boss, do you have any paper and pen here?"

"Yes, of course." Shopkeeper Sun understood and took out a pen and paper and handed them to her.

But Jiang Ziyan took it over and began to write eloquently.

I wrote down a passage from the Analects of Confucius.

"Old sir, do you think my handwriting can be copied?" Jiang Ziyan handed the written paper to Manager Sun with both hands.

He widened his eyes and sighed, "Although the young master's pen grip lacks strength, his handwriting is fresh and elegant. At his age, it can be considered excellent..."

"Thank you for your kind words, old sir." Jiang Ziyan bowed.

"Madam, just for the young master's handwriting, I will give you sixty cents for copying three hundred thousand. What do you think?" Sun Zhangui's eyes were full of approval.

If only my own child could be as smart as him.

He must wake up laughing in his dreams.

He could only give fifty-five coins to other people because he also had to provide paper.

"Sure, sure! Thank you!"

Lu Qingyao could see that Manager Sun was a person who valued and loved talented people.

Before leaving, Shopkeeper Sun casually said, "Mr. Cui comes to the bookstore every fifth day of the month to play chess and drink tea with me..."

It takes almost a month to wait for the fifth day of every month.

"Thank you for your guidance, sir." Jiang Ziyan appreciated it and bowed deeply to him.

"This child is teachable..."

Jiang Miaomiao heard what Manager Sun said.

I thought that my second brother might have a chance to become my disciple!

"Now that we've bought the books, let's go buy Feng'er a bow and arrow." Lu Qingyao looked at the three siblings with a smile.

"Mom, please buy me another piggy bank."

"Mom, I want one too."

"What do you want to buy it for?"

Lu Qingyao got on the carriage and prepared to feed Jiang Miaomiao.

"Save money to buy delicious food for mom and sister..."

"Okay, buy them all, and buy some osmanthus cakes..." She couldn't believe that her son could actually make money by himself.

It seems she has to catch up!

Looking at the little girl in her arms, she became even happier.

She didn't cry or make a fuss along the way, which saved her a lot of worry.

Drive away in a carriage.

Passing by the cloth shop.

"Mom, is that my aunt? Why is she picking up scraps of cloth left over from others?" Jiang Zifeng pointed at the person squatting on the ground in the cloth shop.

Liu Yu Niang picked up all the scraps of cloth on the ground and put them into her cloth bag.

After picking up the trash, they helped the store sweep the floor and wipe the tables, chairs, doors and windows.

"Let's go to another cloth shop." Lu Qingyao bit her lip and hurried away in the carriage while Liu Yu Niang was not paying attention.

Jiang Ziyan knew that his sister was curious, so he held her high in his arms.

Jiang Miaomiao also saw this scene.

Didn’t mother just pay back the money to uncle?

Why is my aunt here picking up scraps of cloth that others don’t want?

…