The manuscript theft farce passed like a gust of wind, whistling past, gradually dying down amid the clamor of the capital. But on the seventh day, the capital's West Market seemed to be awakened by a grand celebration, and the lively atmosphere was suddenly shattered by a deafening burst of firecrackers.
I stood at the entrance of my newly rented bookstore, my gaze following the busy figure of Boss Wang. He was directing his staff to hang up the solemn and ornate plaque. The four gilded characters, meticulously wrapped in red silk, gleamed brightly under the generous autumn sun, dazzling my eyes. A bronze bell hung from the eaves, gently rustled by the breeze, emitting a clear and melodious tinkling sound. This sound, blending with the air's fragrant scent of ink and the lingering aroma of firecrackers, seemed to compose a unique opening melody, startling the gray pigeons that had been lazily basking on the rooftop. They flapped their wings and took to the sky, seemingly overwhelmed by the bustling scene.
"Miss, the brocade gift from the Empress Dowager has arrived!" Mo Zhu, like a lithe swallow, hurried out of the bookstore, clutching a gilded account book. The silver butterfly hairpin in her hair swayed gently with her movements, brushing against the red silk hanging from the doorframe, making a subtle, crisp sound. "And there's also the sugar painting sent by Jiang Zhuangyuan, with a note in the dragon's mouth!" Her voice was filled with uncontrollable excitement, as if she had brought great news.
I took the heavy sugar dragon and felt its weight in my palm. A closer look revealed scales meticulously outlined with gold powder, each one vivid and lifelike, gleaming brilliantly in the sunlight, as if the dragon were about to soar. Sure enough, within its mouth was a rolled-up piece of silk. I gently unfolded it, revealing the elegant calligraphy in small, flower-shaped characters: "I heard that Jinxiu Bookstore is in need of an accountant. I offer my services. The only payment is three sugar paintings per day, plus an abacus and beads." Seeing this familiar handwriting, I couldn't help but smile and look up, just in time to see Jiang Yan's servant galloping away on a pony, an abacus slung from his saddle. The beads clattered in the sunlight, as if joyfully expressing Jiang Yan's feelings.
"Sister! Dad asked me to bring you a treasure!" The young marquis's energetic voice rang out like a bell, and he rushed in with a wooden sword on his shoulder. The hem of his brocade robe was stained with half a withered yellow leaf, as if telling of his hurried journey. Two servants followed behind him, struggling to carry a rosewood cabinet as tall as a person. The young marquis stretched out his hand and pulled the copper ring hard, and the cabinet door slowly opened with a "creak" - the cabinet was full of rare and precious books neatly stacked, exuding an ancient and solemn atmosphere. Among them, the brocade cover of "Zhaoming Wenxuan" was glowing, like a treasure accumulated over the years. These were actually Song Dynasty editions that had long disappeared from the market. Each one carried the weight of history and the inheritance of culture.
Su Xiang followed closely in with steady steps. The Hetian jade on the jade belt buckle at his waist, caressed by the morning light, shone with a warm luster, highlighting the owner's status and taste. He stroked his beard and paced the bookstore pretentiously, his eyes revealing unconcealed concern: "I heard you are going to open a bookstore. These old books are taking up space in your study. You can use them as you like." I inadvertently caught a glimpse of the apricot-colored silver bill peeked out of his sleeve, and a warm feeling welled up in my heart. I couldn't help but smile and said, "Thank you, father, but I can handle the bookstore bill myself."
"What do you mean by 'count it!'" The clear voice of the eldest sister, Su Qingyao, came from outside the door. Along with her voice, the gilded hairpin swung into the room first. Behind her followed four maids, each with a graceful figure, carrying a red lacquered wooden box. As the eldest sister's skirt swept across the threshold, the pearl necklaces adorned on the skirt made a delicate and pleasant sound, as if playing a melody of welcome. "How can a woman do business without an outfit? This is the 'Splendid Shopkeeper Makeup' I gave you——"
As the wooden box slowly opened, the room was instantly filled with vibrant light, as if the entire room was filled with brilliant colors. The "Jinxiuhong" rouge in the mother-of-pearl box was as radiant as the frozen sunset glow, brilliant and captivating, as if it could transport one's thoughts to the dreamlike twilight sky; the "Moxiang Zi" lip balm in the glass bottle, refracted by the light, shone with a faint luster, mysterious and noble, like the twinkling Purple Star in the night sky; the most wonderful of all was the Luozidai inlaid with oriental pearls, the inkstone still condensed with the freshly ground indigo from last night, its delicate texture seemingly capable of depicting the most moving eyebrows in the world. The eldest sister smiled brightly as she picked up a sheep-hair eyebrow pencil, the tip of the pen lightly dabbed in rouge, her eyes teasing: "I heard from Jiang Zhuangyuan that you drew your eyebrows into earthworms yesterday to check the accounts?"
"Eldest sister!" My face flushed instantly as I reached out to grab the eyebrow pencil. My fingertips touched the warm jade pen holder on the penholder—Eldest sister had specially carved a lotus pattern on it. The warm touch seemed to convey her deep care. Just as I was about to refute my elder sister's joke, Liu's sharp and piercing voice suddenly came from outside the door: "Su Jinli! How dare you use my dowry land deed to pay rent!"
Everyone looked in the direction of the sound, only to see Liu, dressed in a faded, plain dress, standing alone in the doorway. A single silver hairpin adorned her bun, making her look drastically shabby and at odds with the lively, festive atmosphere of the bookstore, like an ugly duckling straying into a field of flowers. She held a land deed in her hand, her knuckles crumpling the pages as if she were about to shatter them. "I clearly have this deed in my hands. When did it become yours?" Her voice, shrill with anger and confusion, resembled the cry of a night owl.
Su Xiang's face darkened instantly, and his eyes revealed majesty and dissatisfaction. Just as he was about to scold me, I smiled calmly and said, "Aunt, you're joking. Wasn't this the land deed that you 'borrowed' and pawned last month, and I redeemed it for five hundred taels of silver?" As soon as the words fell, Mo Zhu presented the land deed in a timely manner. The cinnabar fingerprint at the signature was clearly visible, and it was the orchid finger shape that Liu usually used. It was like ironclad evidence that could not be denied.
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