Chapter 17
She admitted defeat, she admitted defeat, and changed the subject. She took the sewing basket back and shook out the crooked scraps of fabric.
"I want to learn tailoring. I'll practice with rag dolls first, and then I can make my own linings. This will help me save money. I don't have many sources of income now, so the more I save, the more I can withstand risks in the future."
Even though Jun Qingmo had fallen into such a destitute situation, he had never thought about money. It all came down to the habits he developed from his previous affluent upbringing.
His previous property was managed by Princess Anle. It was easy to give it away, but now it is impossible to take it back. Even if he could take back some scraps, it would not be very profitable.
"Why are you so obsessed with money?"
"Without money, what will you eat? What will you wear? What will you use? What will you do if you get sick? What will you do if you get old and can't move? Money is a good thing, so of course the more the better."
"I'll find a way to deal with the silver."
"You're smart, so of course you have to come up with a solution."
"You're not polite at all, and you're saying I'm impolite?"
"I'm someone you hired to work for you. Paying me is of course something you have to consider. Isn't it your responsibility to support me?"
"If I could make money on my own, why would I stay here and work? Am I out of my mind, or have I been kicked by a donkey, to pay myself for something like that?"
“…”
Jun Qingmo handed over the booklet in his hand. He had been busy writing this these days.
"What is this?"
"Storybook."
Zhang Yunniang opened the booklet and wanted to see what was written in it, but she found that she didn't recognize any of the words in it.
"I don't understand. What's it about?"
"It's a story about a down-and-out scholar who meets a rich lady, gets help from his father-in-law, and gets promoted and gets rich." Jun Qingmo's ears turned red as he introduced it.
As a scholar, he felt ashamed to write these things.
Forced by life, I have no choice but to bow down for a few pieces of rice.
Zhang Yunniang was stunned, "You actually wrote this kind of thing?" In her impression, Jun Qingmo was a young man from a noble family, with dignified manners and a romantic figure.
She really didn't expect that people would write such things.
It's not that she is prejudiced, but most people would think these stories are vulgar and would be ashamed to write them.
Jun Qingmo's face turned red and his ears were so red that they seemed to be bleeding.
He had never completely let go of his pride, so this was a humiliation for him.
Among the literati, these are only regarded as low-grade, willing to read, but few are willing to write. The authors of the vernacular novels on the market are basically some poor and humble people who are forced to earn a little food to make a living.
"A scholar is useless. This is the fastest and most stable way to make money that I can think of right now."
Scholars make money by selling calligraphy and paintings, teaching, and copying scriptures for wealthy families, but they don't make much money, and his current identity is not suitable for it.
He thought about it for a long time and decided that the best way to make money quickly was to write storybooks.
"A gown that cannot be taken off, a platform that cannot be climbed." Jun Qingmo just felt that life was hopeless, and that was it.
"A cat that can catch mice is a good cat, whether it's black or white. Being a good-for-nothing scholar is just self-imprisonment. Merchants have been looked down upon since ancient times, but that doesn't stop them from living in luxurious houses and enjoying delicacies."
Zhang Yunniang flipped through the storybook page by page, trying to pick out some words she recognized, but in the end she found that she could not understand a single word.
"I'm narrow-minded."
Jun Qingmo looked at the woman in front of him, and the blush on his face gradually faded away. When this person was not fierce, she was still very friendly.
She would comfort him and take care of him, but once she got upset, she would become a ferocious beast.
The contrast is too strong.
"It's so tacky, will anyone watch it?" What Zhang Yunniang cares most about is whether she can make money.
She had only heard of people dying of poverty, but never of people dying of wealth. Life without money was really hard.
She is afraid of being poor.
When I was a child, I had no food to eat. Although I was never naked, I often suffered from the cold.
She suffered from hunger, cold, and the pain of having no money.
"Few ordinary people can read. Most of those who have money to buy books are scholars, especially those who think they have unappreciated talents. They are more willing to read these books."
Seeing the man's skepticism, Jun Qingmo explained, "I'm not famous right now, so I have no leverage in negotiating with booksellers, and I can't get a very high price. I've only written the first thirty chapters, and since we haven't collaborated before, booksellers will be worried about the quality of the follow-up work. So, I might as well not waste my inspiration and time."
Zhang Yunniang suddenly realized, "I understand."
For the first collaboration, if it is a complete set, the bookseller can still make a basic judgment, but writing a complete book takes a lot of time and there is no way to guarantee the market direction.
Just like online novels in previous generations, most authors choose to write while publishing in order to observe the market trends.
These were the first books Jun Qingmo wrote, and even though the first few chapters were of high quality, it was difficult for booksellers to take the risk of buying them.
So, don't bother with that for now. Just do it in a proper way and publish one book to build your reputation. If you can accumulate a certain number of readers and show the bookseller your overall control over the dialogue book, it will be easier to negotiate the price for the second book.
After making up their minds, they went out.
Today I have to go to the ink shop to buy some pens, ink and scrolls.
The place they were going to was not far from the palace. The sun was shining brightly today, so Zhang Yunniang thought she could push the person for a walk on the street first.
This is a wealthy area, and the prices of things in the shops are much higher. Even the prices of street vendors are much higher than elsewhere.
Since ancient times, wealthy areas have been unable to escape the fate of being ripped off.
Zhang Yunniang looked at the snacks around her, swallowed her saliva, and felt a little greedy.
She loves to eat food from street stalls, especially those so-called "fly restaurants".
Otherwise, she wouldn't know so many authentic and unknown delicious foods.
Jun Qingmo realized that the man was walking slower and slower. He turned around and saw that the man was staring at the snacks next to him and swallowing his saliva.
"Give us a portion of snacks." Seeing her greedy look, Jun Qingmo immediately asked someone to stop and asked the stall owner to bring one portion.
"No thanks, big brother. We have something urgent to do. We'll come back later."
Zhang Yunniang pretended to be anxious and pushed the person away quickly.
"If you want to eat, why not?"
"The things here are so expensive, it's not worth it. A portion in the west of the city only costs three cents, but here it costs thirty cents. Do you have so much money that you don't know where to spend it?"
“Not really…”
"Hmm? You pay or I pay."
“…”
Jun Qingmo saw the miserly nature of this man and just shook his head and ignored it.
When he pays for those calligraphy and scrolls, he's afraid he'll faint.
The prices of things here are indeed expensive. He didn't realize it before, but now he has a deep understanding of it.
Shops selling scholar's supplies were concentrated in the south of the city. The layout of the capital was very clear: the East Market was magnificent and home to many powerful and wealthy merchants, while the West Market was where ordinary people lived. The south was a hodgepodge.
Almost all the entertainment and leisure venues are here. Therefore, Nanshi is also the most bustling place in the capital. The rich and powerful come here, and ordinary people come too.
The prices are also more humane, neither too high nor too low.
It's very lively and crowded here.
Zhang Yunniang stopped by a small stall and called out to the stall owner, "Give me ten, five in a pack."
Jun Qingmo frowned. This thing was just fished out of the frying pan. He felt sick just looking at it. "I want five. I won't eat it."
Upon hearing this, the stall owner looked at Zhang Yunniang.
"No, I want ten."
"Okay, sir, the total is twenty cents. Please take it and be careful of the heat." The stall owner packed the things quickly, fearing that the customer would change his mind.
After walking for a while, the two came to a place to have tea.
Zhang Yunniang opened the oil-paper package and handed it to Jun Qingmo. The man waved his hand, holding the bowl of tea, looking uninterested.
He didn't like greasy food. As the tea bowl was placed on the table, something was handed to his mouth. When his lips touched the food, he subconsciously bit it.
"Try it. You have to try it to know whether you like it or not. Why would you reject something from the beginning? If it doesn't suit your taste, then there's no regret. But if you are prejudiced based on appearance, then you've missed it."
Jun Qingmo caught it with his hands and took a bite. The skin was not crispy like other fried foods, but had a chewy texture.
The imagined situation of having a mouth full of oil did not happen. Instead, I could smell the aroma of rice. When I chewed it again, I tasted something similar to sauerkraut. Because it was fried, it had a strong aroma mixed with the sourness and melted in my mouth.
The skin on the surface is fried to a golden brown. If you don’t know, you might think it is burnt, but it is not.
The inside is a light bright yellow and also chewy.
It is not big, about the size of an egg, and can be eaten in three or two bites.
Jun Qingmo took the other bag and opened it, then took out another one to eat.
He decided not to express his opinions casually in the future, otherwise he would easily be criticized.
"What is this?"
"I don't know. From the sound, it sounds like it's called 'youbaba'. I just know it's made by grinding rice and soybeans into a paste in the right proportion, then shaping it in a mold and deep-frying it."
"When adding the batter, add half first, then add meat, pickled vegetables, etc., and then add the other half of the batter. After frying until it is released from the mold, continue frying until the skin is brown and yellow, and it is done."
The two of them ate and drank tea at the same time. When they finished, Jun Qingmo still felt a little unsatisfied.
"How about buying a few more?"
"Save some food for now, there's other food to eat."
The two of them had rested enough, and this time they decided to do serious work first. It was not time for dinner yet, so they just had a small snack, otherwise it would affect their normal meal.
Turning around the alley ahead, I heard a commotion not far away.
Judging from the noise, it seemed like a customer in a restaurant had eaten a bug and was arguing with the owner.
The two looked at each other and tacitly agreed to stay away from the trouble.
However, the two of them ignored the mentality of the general public who were watching the fun. They needed to pass by the shop, and before they could leave, the people around who were watching the fun pushed them into the crowd, and even into the front row, which was a great spectator position.
So, this excitement is something you must see.
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