"Young Master Liu, what are you saying? You've clearly introduced us to such a great business opportunity; we're overjoyed!"
Before Li Youran could speak, Li Tairan excitedly agreed.
Seeing that her family was very keen to take on the business, Li Youran did not refuse.
She wasn't stupid; she knew Liu Zhiyuan was looking out for her business. But what was Liu Zhiyuan after?
A bold and narcissistic thought suddenly popped into Li Youran's mind: Could it be that Liu Zhiyuan was after her?
Thinking of this, she hurriedly shook her head. Liu Zhiyuan came from an official family, and she herself was a scholar with official rank. How could he possibly fall for an abandoned woman?
Since she couldn't figure it out, Li Youran decided not to think about it anymore. Anyway, she only had a few taels of silver and didn't have much, so she wouldn't lose out.
After Liu Zhiyuan left, Li Youran talked to her family about opening a bookstore near the academy.
She got this idea from Tian Alang. There were many students from poor families like Tian Alang in the academy, and they were diligent and hardworking.
However, not all students are like Tian Alang, able to gain the approval of their teachers and the academy, and receive certain financial assistance.
Most of them were of average talent but unwilling to give up. They struggled to even pay their tuition, let alone have extra money for food or to buy writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones.
Therefore, these scholars would secretly take on book copying jobs to supplement their family income, but in most cases, there weren't enough books to copy.
Li Youran wanted to open an academy near the college, not only to attract business and make money, but more importantly, to provide the poor students in the academy with an opportunity to study and earn money at the same time.
Li Youran planned to recruit students from the academy to work. Of course, it was impossible for them to work in the bookstore all day long. They would only need to work for a few hours when they had free time, which meant they would be hourly workers.
Of course, there are also some book-copying tasks that students can take home to do.
“My sister’s idea is excellent. It can make money and help these scholars in need at the same time.”
Zhao Lanzhi sighed inwardly, "We're all human, so why is there such a big difference?" Her heart was only set on her own little world, and she never thought of helping others.
"This is a good thing, and your father and mother both support you."
Li Dazhu had attended school when he was young, but his family was too poor to afford the high tuition fees.
He understood this feeling, so he offered his full support after Li Youran proposed the idea.
With the support and approval of her whole family, Li Youran thought about trying to open the bookstore before the end of the year so that she could help these students as soon as possible and let them have a good New Year.
"Brother Tang, what brings you here? Your leg..."
The next morning, Hua Ruyu came to help sell steamed buns, but unexpectedly, Tang Lei came along too.
Li Youran looked surprised and taken aback, as Tang Lei's leg was supposed to take some time to recover.
“My leg is fine now. I heard from Miss Hua that there are quite a few spies planted at the dock, so I thought I would sneak into the dock to investigate further.”
As they were talking, the aroma of steamed buns wafted over, and Tang Lei took a deep breath.
"Are you hungry? Quickly try these steamed buns and see how they taste." Li Youran was very perceptive and handed Tang Lei a few large, pure meat steamed buns.
“The work at the docks is all hard labor, and your leg hasn’t fully recovered yet,” Li Youran said, serving Tang Lei another bowl of soup. “How about we wait a little longer?”
She thought that if this leg really left her with a problem, she wouldn't be able to escape responsibility.
Tang Lei picked up a large steamed bun filled with pure meat and ate it in two bites. Seeing Li Youran looking at his legs with a worried expression, he guessed what she was thinking.
"It's okay, I'll just stay here and sell steamed buns for you from now on." Tang Lei said, then burst into laughter. "I don't want wages, I just want an unlimited supply of steamed buns."
"How dare you laugh..." Li Youran looked at the empty basket. It was clearly filled with eight buns, but they were all gone as soon as she sat down.
Despite her disgusted expression, she still turned around and grabbed a few more steamed buns, but this time she only took vegetarian ones, since meat buns are hard to digest if you eat too many.
"Don't worry, I found an easy job at the dock," Tang Lei said. "All I have to do is sit and record data for the ships."
This was their first meeting since their accidental kiss.
Before meeting him, Li Youran was still quite bothered by the matter and didn't know how to face Tang Lei next time.
But when the two were face to face, she put the previous awkwardness behind her and acted as if nothing had happened, very naturally.
As dawn broke, more and more people came to buy steamed buns. Li Youran stopped talking to Tang Lei and went with Hua Ruyi to sell steamed buns.
Tang Lei sat in the shop, leisurely eating steamed buns and drinking the millet porridge You Ran had served him. He thought to himself that he would come here to eat every morning from now on, and then go to the dock after breakfast.
Thinking about it this way, Tang Lei suddenly felt a warmth in his heart and had hope.
With several dozen taels of silver already in hand, plus the 150 taels given by Zhao Lanshan, Li Youran could be considered a little rich woman with more than 200 taels of silver.
Since Li Youran planned to open a shop at the entrance of the academy, she was doing it with a long-term vision, so she didn't skimp on the decoration.
Scholars value elegance, so Li Youran spent a lot of money on decoration materials to make the bookstore as elegant as possible.
Paintings and calligraphy of plum blossoms, orchids, bamboo, and chrysanthemums are naturally indispensable. Moreover, Li Youran also displays orchids in the shop.
Unlike traditional bookstores, Li Youran did not place books behind the counter. Instead, the bookstore was decorated according to the standards of a modern library, with all the books placed on shelves and arranged in order. There was also a reading area where people could read in the store.
The writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones are placed near the entrance for students to choose from; they only need to pay at the counter at the end.
The calligraphy and paintings are hung on one wall, and students can also hang their own calligraphy and paintings on this wall.
If the painting or calligraphy is sold, the shop receives two-thirds of the profit. If it doesn't sell within a month, the shop takes it down and returns it to the student.
The second floor houses some valuable books and calligraphy, where Li Youran plans to entertain VIP customers.
After paying rent, purchasing goods, and decorating with the two hundred taels of silver he had, Li Youran was now back to square one, penniless...
"Money is worthless, we can earn it back after we spend it!" Compared to simply making money, Li Youran prefers what she is doing now, as it is both fulfilling and meaningful.
"Leisurely!"
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