Hehehehe~ See you in three days~
Yan Shujin discovered that Mr. Du was truly erudite; he could talk about almost anything, from antiques and calligraphy to street food.
Mr. Du had just led them out of the study. Yan Shujin chose two travelogues, but Yan Qiyu didn't buy anything. He hadn't finished reading the books at home yet, but Mr. Du had prepared calligraphy practice books and such.
Yan Shujin had already memorized the general contents of the items.
Mr. Du not only took Yan Shujin and Yan Qiyu to those shops, but also took them to the street stalls for a long time. When they were all tired, they finally chose a teahouse to rest.
There was a storyteller in the teahouse. Mr. Du asked for a private room on the second floor, ordered some snacks and tea, and then asked, "How does it feel?"
Yan Qiyu held the teacup in both hands and took a few sips: "Expensive. Many things are more expensive than in town. Some are much more expensive, some are only a little more expensive, and some are cheaper than in town."
Mr. Du asked, "Why?"
Yan Qiyu thought for a moment before saying, "It's more expensive than in town because the capital is more prosperous and has more wealthy people, so renting a shop or hiring people will be more expensive."
Mr. Du nodded: "And what about a cheaper price?"
Yan Qiyu also had some doubts: "I don't know, I found that some books are cheaper than in town."
The main problem was that Yan Qiyu couldn't remember whether he had seen any travelogues or similar books in the town.
Mr. Du looked at Yan Shujin and asked, "What do you think, Sister Bao?"
When they were out and about, Mr. Du would call the two women Bao Jie and Gui Ge, partly to conceal their identities, but mainly for convenience.
Yan Shujin thought for a moment and said, "Because there are many scholars and academies in the capital, many families who are not wealthy can copy books and sell them for money, so books are actually cheaper."
Mr. Du said, "Anything else?"
"And items like writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones seem to be more expensive in town than in other places, while the cheaper ones are cheaper." Yan Shujin looked at Mr. Du and asked, "Why is that, sir?"
Mr. Du took a few sips of tea: "In the village, everyone grows a lot of vegetables, but even if they wanted to sell them, no one would buy them. But if they take them to the town, they can sell them for money. Why is that?"
"Because nobody in the village wants them, but people in the town want to buy them," Yan Qiyu said. "It seems that some are sold directly to restaurants, where the price is slightly lower than selling them on the street. But restaurants buy in large quantities, and they sell out quickly, making it easier and more profitable."
Yan Shujin added, "Moreover, the restaurants will tell those people what vegetables they want, so there's no worry about the vegetables they grow not being sold."
Mr. Du smiled and said, "That's the difference between having someone want you and not having someone want you."
Actually, Yan Shujin still didn't quite understand, but she vaguely grasped some of it.
Mr. Du said, "For example, the vegetables grown in the village are very good, and many people in the village know how to grow them. They can only sell for one coin per pound in the town. But if someone transports the vegetables to the capital to sell, they might be able to sell for one ounce per pound. Merchants earn more, but they also have to spend more upfront."
Scholars, farmers, artisans, merchants...
Many scholars actually look down on merchants, but Yan Shujin felt that Mr. Du was very knowledgeable about business.
Yan Shujin asked, "Are you interested in traveling merchants, sir?"
If it were any other scholar, Yan Shujin would never have asked such a question, because many scholars would have felt it was an insult to him.
Mr. Du stated directly, "I'm only interested in making money."
Yan Shujin laughed.
Yan Qiyu said, "I'm also interested in how to earn more money."
Mr. Du said, “Scholars also need to eat and drink. Many aristocratic families are aloof, but they also own many shops in private. No one will complain about having too little money. It’s just that you have to cater to their tastes. Instead of giving a scholar money, you should use the money to buy him a few books. Giving gifts is also an art. Later on, the ladies in the palace will naturally teach you these things.”
Yan Shujin and Yan Qiyu agreed, and the group ate pastries while listening to the storyteller below.
Yan Qiyu suddenly asked, "Sister, how do you know about copying books to make money?"
"Because I specifically inquired about it," Yan Shujin said matter-of-factly. "I was thinking of having you copy books to earn money and supplement the family income when you got a little older."
Yan Qiyu said, "That's great. This way, I can earn money while studying and practicing calligraphy."
Mr. Du felt there was still some regret in Yan Qiyu's tone.
Yan Qiyu pressed further, "Can I earn money by copying books now? I want to use the money I earn to buy things for you."
Mr. Du was taken aback and didn't know how to answer.
Yan Shujin poked her younger brother's forehead helplessly: "Are you stupid? We have money at home, we don't need you to do these things. You just need to study hard."
Yan Qiyu said "oh" and took a few bites of the pastry.
“Besides, we’re not short of money at home, why are you competing with those scholars who are short of money for work?” Yan Shujin really thought her younger brother was a bit foolish: “Go ask those scholars, if they had a choice, wouldn’t they prefer to focus on their studies? And just like Mr. Du said about businessmen, they invest a lot in the early stages, but they earn even more in the later stages.”
Yan Qiyu said somewhat embarrassedly, "I was wrong."
Mr. Du saw that Yan Shujin had resolved the matter without needing his correction, and he also noticed that Yan Shujin cared deeply for Yan Qiyu, yet knew how to maintain proper boundaries.
In fact, many families support one person's education. As time goes on, the student may take it for granted that the whole family works hard to earn money to support their education. This can corrupt a person's character, causing them to become selfish without realizing it.
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