When the shop assistant heard that Lu Qiqi wanted to buy books, he bowed to Zhou Yi and then walked up to Lu Qiqi and asked, "Miss, what kind of drawing book would you like to buy?"
“We have the most popular book right now, ‘Strange Tales in the Woods,’ as well as books that little girls like to read, such as ‘Spring Willows’ and ‘Peach Blossoms in the Sun’.”
The shop assistant enthusiastically recommended the store's best-selling sketchbook to Lu Qiqi.
Lu Qiqi said, "I don't want to draw notebooks, I want to buy books for scholars to learn about literature."
Upon hearing Lu Qiqi's words, the waiter's face instantly cracked.
But he quickly regained his composure, smiling and bowing as he led the way, saying, "I have worked here for many years, and you are the first woman to come and buy a book."
Lu Qiqi explained, "I bought it for my younger brother to use for studying."
In ancient times, few women were literate. Wealthy young ladies who were literate usually came from families with clan schools, and when they went out to buy books, they mostly bought picture books.
I rarely read books that teach serious knowledge, since such books are dry and difficult to understand without explanation.
Since women were not allowed to take the imperial examinations, there was even less chance that women would buy proper books.
That's why the waiter's lips stiffened just now.
The waiter led Lu Qiqi and Zhou Yi to sit down on the stools by the coffee table, and said with a smile, "I'll get it for you to see right now."
After saying that, the waiter went to the bookshelf on the side, picked and chose for a while, and finally carried a stack of books to the coffee table.
The shopkeeper put the books down and said, "These are all books for students' enlightenment, copied by poor scholars with excellent handwriting. Please take a look and see if they suit your taste."
Lu Qiqi nodded in acknowledgment and picked up a book to start reading.
The handwriting in the book is neat, the strokes are firm, and every stroke is just right, as if it were printed from life, with each character perfectly formed.
From the stack of books, Lu Qiqi only picked four. Two of these books were simple literacy books, and the other two were books on Confucianism that were easy to understand.
Lu Qiqi didn't buy any books on deeper knowledge, as these weren't yet applicable to the Zhou brothers and Lu Yao.
It's not too late to buy it after you go to school and have a teacher to instruct you.
Lu Qiqi pointed to the books she had selected and said, "Hey buddy, how much are they?"
The waiter took out an abacus, fiddled with it for a few moments, and said, "Three taels of silver."
Lu Qiqi clicked her tongue, almost shouting out the words "black shop".
But after thinking about it carefully, she realized that she had spent a lot of money on the writing brush, ink, paper and inkstone. She estimated that the shopkeeper had not asked for too much money.
After all, there was no printing technology in this era, and books were all copied by hand.
The costs of writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones; the costs of copying books; and the costs of running a bookstore—all these add up to a considerable sum of money.
Lu Qiqi took out her silver to pay, thinking to herself: After setting up a stall all day, I still don't have enough silver to buy a few books, and I even have to pay out of my own pocket.
Heartbreaking!
The shop assistant took the money with a smile, saying flattering things, and was about to go and write a receipt for Lu Qiqi.
Lu Qiqi and Zhou Yi sat at the coffee table, drinking hot tea served by another waiter while they waited.
The waiter served tea and put the books that Lu Qiqi didn't want back in their original places.
Lu Qiqi picked up her teacup and took a small sip. After talking for so long, she was indeed a little thirsty.
I didn't like drinking tea on Monday, so I took a sip with a frown and never touched the teacup again.
"You dare to ask for two hundred taels for just a tattered book? Be careful, or I'll report you to the government!"
A haughty voice broke the silence.
Lu Qiqi and Zhou Yi both turned to look and saw a middle-aged man with a long beard standing behind the counter.
Two young ladies, one dressed in red and the other in green, sat in front of the counter, with two maids standing beside them.
Lu Qiqi was all too familiar with this scene; the one who had just spoken was Zhu Huan, who was fawning over Feng Xiner's smelly feet at the cosmetics shop.
Who else could be sitting next to Zhu Huan but Feng Xin'er!
The long-bearded man's face darkened at Zhu Huan's words. He said, "The two young ladies borrowed this book from our shop to make copies. This book is a unique copy, and it was clearly stated on the receipt."
"Now that you are unable to repay your debts on time, you are trying to smear our store. I cannot tolerate this."
"If you still can't pay today and refuse to buy this rare book, then we'll go see the officials! This dynasty values books the most; how can we allow you to trample on them at will!"
Feng Xin'er didn't expect that the bookstore owner would be so stubborn. She had just brought up her uncle, General Feng, but the owner was still unmoved.
Now you want to report her to the authorities? Do you want to make her lose all face?
Feng Xin'er absolutely cannot make a scene at the government office over this matter. If someone reports it to the authorities, she can forget about marrying into a higher social class in the future. Even if she were to marry into a lower social class, the other party might have to think twice.
She absolutely cannot let this happen!
Feng Xin'er immediately questioned Zhu Huan, "You better think about where you put it!"
Zhu Huan took the book home, but her older brother took it and gave it away.
At this moment, Zhu Huan was also at a loss for words. She had no idea that a tattered book would be so expensive!
Her older brother must have gotten quite a bit of profit from giving it away, but he didn't even think to share any of it with her.
Thinking of this, Zhu Huan felt both angry and annoyed with his elder brother.
However, she couldn't tell Feng Xin'er the truth, so she said, "I took it home and hid it in the house, thinking I would copy it when the incense paper arrived, but then it disappeared!"
Zhu Huan had said these words countless times, word for word, so much so that Feng Xin'er had no doubts whatsoever. In fact, after hearing Zhu Huan lie so many times, she began to believe it herself.
Feng Xin'er acted as guarantor for Zhu Huan to lend out the book, but now that he can't pay it back, the shopkeeper is asking for two hundred taels of silver.
Since moving out of the old house, Feng Xin'er has never had more than ten taels of silver in her possession, and she simply cannot afford to pay the shopkeeper any compensation.
Feng Xin'er closed her eyes and said, "Then let's report it to the authorities!"
"Since it was stolen from your house, it means there was a thief inside. Such a valuable item was stolen, so we have to find the thief!"
Zhu Huan thought Feng Xin'er would cover up the mess, but she didn't expect Feng Xin'er to report it to the authorities. Once the authorities expose her older brother, will she still have a good life at home?
Thinking of this, Zhu Huan screamed, "We can't report this to the authorities!"
Feng Xin'er looked at Zhu Huan with a scrutinizing gaze.
Zhu Huan was startled and suspicious under Feng Xin'er's gaze, and had no choice but to tell the truth, "My older brother gave that book away, and I only found out later."
"I'll pay! Xin'er, I'm so sorry, but I can't get my older brother to take the book back."
"Why don't you lend me some money first? I'll definitely pay you back later!"
Feng Xin'er was spoiled but not naive. She knew that Zhu Huan knew it was her older brother who gave away the books, yet he still dragged her out to embarrass her, and now he wanted her to cover up his own mistakes.
Feng Xin'er stood up angrily and said, "You take responsibility for this yourself, and don't bother me anymore. Our friendship ends here!"
"Whether you report it to the authorities or arrest someone, it's none of my business!"
After saying that, Feng Xin'er left the bookstore with her maid, having no time to pay attention to Lu Qiqi and Zhou Yi, who had just watched a good show.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
