Chapter 64 Jinjiang First Release Chapter 64 We both want a little one...
Having a good friend who frequently travels between town and country is indeed a great convenience. The stone processing workshop had finished the first pen holder insert, and Wu Sheng brought it back.
After Yu Qinglong got it, he tried to see if it could fit into the pen holder shell made by his second brother, and found that it fit in perfectly.
"Uncle Jiang said if there is no problem, we should continue to do it this way," Wu Sheng said.
"Sure," Yu Qinglong said, "but Shoucheng and I are going to town tomorrow, so we can go talk directly to Uncle Jiang."
"Then I'll pick you up tomorrow morning."
Fang Shu was still holding the pen holder, admiring it, but when he heard this, he didn't even turn his head, but waved his hand and said, "Go ahead."
Yu Qinglong poked him with a pen: "Fang Shoucheng, are you crazy?"
Wu Sheng said, "Alright, let him see. He is just like that."
After saying that, Yu Qinglong left, pretending to be angry: "How about you sleep with the pen holder in your arms at night, my husband?"
Fang Shu immediately looked up: "My husband is more important!"
"Do you really like it that much?"
"I love it!" Fang Shu rolled up some paper and put it in, along with a few pens and an ink stick. "This is so convenient! If I had a pen holder like this, I would have gone to school no matter how much I hated it."
"What for? To show off?"
"We have to show it off! Won't they be envious?" Fang Shu said. "But Long Ge'er, can you make a groove here for a water bottle? And a small porcelain bottle to hold water for grinding ink, that would be even more perfect."
"Sure, it's in the new map. You can buy it as needed." Yu Qinglong waved. "Come here, you're still missing something."
Fang Shu handed it over carefully, and Yu Qinglong personally engraved an icon on this first pen holder - a pine tree standing in a rounded square frame. This was the brand to be used in the future.
Fang Shu immediately understood the meaning of the small picture and touched it lovingly. "Thank you, Long Ge'er. I will definitely cherish it from now on. But how about adding a fish to it? Then it won't be a 'square tree' but a 'fish tree'. It will be just the two of us, right?"
Yu Qinglong thought that this method seemed more feasible, and maybe he could promote the brand story in the future.
So the "square tree brand" became the "fish tree brand".
After Yu Qinglong finished engraving, he continued to write his storybook.
The next morning, my parents ate breakfast and went to the fields. My eldest brother and his wife stayed at home to help dry the vegetables.
In the north, you have to dry vegetables during the winter. Otherwise, it's hard to survive the entire winter relying solely on fresh vegetables, which are just radishes, cabbages, and green onions stored in the cellar. There aren't even any potatoes here yet.
My eldest brother, who was not yet able to do anything strenuous, helped with the picking and drying, a task that could be done with one hand, while my eldest sister-in-law helped with the washing and cutting.
Seeing that the two men were quite familiar with the place, Yu Qinglong and Fang Shu went out with Wu Sheng.
The road was finally dry. Although it was bumpy and difficult to walk on, it was stable along the ruts.
Yu Qinglong planned to order some more embedded stones and see if he could meet the new garrison commander.
He originally thought that the new town commander was also a person who loved pleasure and had no ambition to make progress, but it seemed that was not the case.
After entering the city, Yu Qinglong first visited the Jiang family stone shop. He ordered six more pieces according to the original design, then selected five more pieces made of a better quality stone. This type was more expensive than the first, costing twenty wen per piece. However, when paired with better quality wood, the quality was significantly improved.
After signing the documents and paying the deposit, Yu Qinglong and Fang Shu headed towards the government office. However, before they arrived, they heard people talking about a wealthy family named Wu in Liangtang Town whose house was ransacked by bandits. All valuable items were taken away, and the young host and hostess were also beaten up.
It is said that the hostess cheated the bandits and almost killed them.
Yu Qinglong knew it was Wu Wei and Yang Feng as soon as he heard them.
But then someone else said, "I heard that the Wu family has divorced Yang Feng."
Another person said: "Is this true?"
The man said, "It's absolutely true. Think about it, if a woman secretly meets with bandits, how will her husband save face if this news gets out? Who knows if those bandits took advantage of the meeting to get some hidden benefits. My brother is transporting goods from the county to Liangtang Town to sell, and the information is accurate, it can't be wrong."
Another person said: "You can't just live a good life. Isn't this what you asked for?"
Yu Qinglong and Fang Shu looked at each other and thought, who said it wasn't true?
At this time, a group of people came out of the government office. The one in the lead was about thirty-two or thirty-three years old, dressed in black, handsome, with a steady gait, and he jumped on his horse like flowing water, his movements done in one go.
"Gee!" The man whipped his horse and left quickly.
This was the first time Yu Qinglong had seen such a remarkable person since he traveled through time. Although he was considered middle-aged in this era, his strong and capable spirit left him stunned.
When the people around him reacted, they found that the Cao garrison had already left.
Yu Qinglong: “…”
Fang Shu saw his husband still looking in the direction the new garrison commander had left, and he poked him: "Brother Long? Are you still looking?"
Yu Qinglong came back to his senses and coughed lightly: "What's wrong?"
Fang Shu suddenly said something sour: "You've been watching for a long time."
Yu Qinglong said, "Don't you think it's very handsome of this gentleman to see him leaping onto his horse?"
She even praised other men for being handsome in front of him!
Fang Shu frowned and said, "Does it look good? Aren't all military commanders like this?"
Yu Qinglong chuckled secretly: "I haven't met many generals before. I have only met Lord Guo before. But I think this Lord Cao is more handsome than Lord Guo."
Fang Shu: "..." I don't want to listen! I feel depressed!
So does his husband really like him or not?
But they had already done something so intimate. Although he had never really wanted her, it was different from others.
Or maybe, her husband is a fairy guy, so he doesn't care too much about these things...
Yu Qinglong watched his husband go from beaming in the morning to drooping in the present moment. How could he not know what he was thinking? He said, "Okay, I'm just kidding. No one is as beautiful as you in my eyes."
"really?"
"Believe it or not."
"Oh, I believe, believe, believe, believe!"
Fang Shu hurried after him, wanting to catch him, but since they were outside, he had to get closer without appearing too intimate.
After thinking about it, the two men wrote a letter to the new garrison commander and left it with Yan Xikuan and Ma Qinsui, thinking that if they met Lord Cao again, they could just give it to him.
As for the bandits, Yu Qinglong felt that as long as they benefited from the Wu family, it was highly unlikely that they would return to cause trouble. They hadn't actually troubled the two criminals, and since the two places weren't close to each other, a trip back and forth would be unnecessary. Unless there was a deep grudge, there was really no need to make the trip.
Of course, the most important thing is the relationship with the county magistrate they mentioned before, and the fact that if the other party just goes out and takes a look, he should be able to find out what kind of ruthless character the new magistrate Cao is.
At this time, the safest thing to do is to wait and see.
That day, Yu Qinglong went to Shangxi Town to pick up the newly upgraded batch of pen holders.
Second brother and Bai Wanqiu have been staying at the Bai family recently. Second brother helps the Bai family with farm work during the day and takes time to help him make pen holders at night.
Originally, Yu Qinglong was also thinking about whether he could help his second brother start a side job to earn more money. But when he came to pick up something, he heard Bai Wanqiu's father say in the other room: "How can a married man bring his husband to live with his parents? If you tell anyone, it will make people laugh. They are brothers, how can one of them live with his family but not the other? Why are you dragging me along? I'm telling the truth! And helping with that pipe is just burning up our lamp oil! In my opinion, you should have called off the engagement in the first place!"
The second brother said nothing.
Bai Wanqiu smiled awkwardly at Qinglong, "Brother Long, don't take it to heart. My father is just like that."
It's not like his father and mother treated him badly. It's just that compared to his younger brother, he was far inferior.
His younger brother was a man, and would one day carry on the Bai family's lineage. But although his surname was Bai, his future children would have the surname Yu, so his father felt that raising him was no longer a member of the family.
Yu Qinglong frowned. He had come with money. He had asked his second brother to help him make fifteen pen holders, which took exactly ten days. He had originally planned to give his second brother five hundred and fifty coins. Three hundred of that was for the wood for the fifteen pen holders, which his second brother had already paid in advance. The remaining two hundred coins were for his second brother's labor.
The servants in this town only earn three hundred coins a month, so twenty coins a day is quite a lot.
But Yu Qinglong hesitated for a moment and didn't rush to take out the money. He was afraid that even if he did, the money wouldn't all go to his second brother or Bai Wanqiu.
He gestured for his second brother and Bai Wanqiu to grab their things and follow him out. Finding a deserted spot, he asked them, "Second brother, Qiu'er, what do you think? Do you want to move out, or continue living here?"
Yu Qingye said, "Qiu Ge'er and I definitely want to move out. But given the current situation, with so little grain harvest, the cost of moving out is simply too high."
Bai Wanqiu bit her lip in frustration. "My father-in-law and father-in-law said they'd work hard to build a new house next year. We thought we'd save as much as we can so we can help out a little bit at home."
Yu Qinglong sighed, "I really can't find a place for you to live right now. But if this pen holder sells well, we can make a profit, so let Uncle Bai say whatever he wants. When we make money, I'll see if I can get you to Xiaxi Village as well. It'll be convenient for us to do anything as a family."
The Bai family only had two rooms. Now that Bai Wanqiu's younger brother was unmarried, his second brother and his wife came to live with him, so his younger brother had to share a room with his parents. Sometimes his younger brother was unhappy, and he could understand.
But it is indeed not easy for the newlyweds.
Yu Qinglong handed the purse to Bai Wanqiu: "Here are 550 coins. 350 coins are from the advance paid by my second brother for the wood. The remaining 200 coins are for his wages. Keep the money safe and don't tell anyone else. Not even the family. If anyone asks how much it sold for or how much you made, just say you don't know. Also, if Uncle Bai gets upset and criticizes you, you can just pay him some money for food and lamp oil."
Yu Qingye said, "Giving us so much, do you still have any profit?"
Yu Qinglong said, "It's hard to say right now. But you guys keep it for now."
Otherwise, he would have given more, but he and Fang Shu had been spending money like water lately. Ever since Yang Feng started giving them trouble, and with the flood, the money in the money jar under the kang had only gone out and not in.
Originally, when he and Fang Shu got married, there were thirty taels of silver in the jar, but now after deducting the fees for favors, travel expenses, food and supplies, the cost of the pen holder, the money for renting a house for his parents, and Fang Shu's filial piety to the two elders, there are only twenty-three taels of silver left.
They had only been married for a month!
He spent seven taels of silver, and that was after factoring in the extra money he earned from writing storybooks.
The money was going through so quickly that Yu Qinglong had to find a way out. After hiring workers and paying taxes, there wasn't much left on the land. Furthermore, after the disaster, since they were all relatives, how could he collect the money for the land being in his name?
The atmosphere in the village is depressing now, and almost everyone is worried about the harvest.
If no one has suggested a tax exemption, then it's unavoidable. It's a question of whether they'll have enough food to last until next year.
Bai Wanqiu took the money and said, "Long'er, if there's anything I can do, just give it to me. I don't want any money, just a little help will be fine."
Yu Qinglong nodded: "Okay, I'll come to you if I need you."
He carried the last batch of pen holders back with him, and the next day he and Fang Shu went to the county town with the second volume of the short storybook.
This time, he wasn't with Yan Xikuan and Ma Qinsui. The area west of the city needed to be renovated, and the area where they lived was also under construction. Someone had to be present at all times, and the higher-ups had already been notified. Yu Qinglong only took the handwritten copy and went with Fang Shu and the others.
When they arrived in the county town, they went to the place where they stayed last time, rested for a night, had breakfast, and then slowly walked to Dexin Book House.
People had been coming to the library to read books since noon. Before the two of them even entered, they heard someone ask, "Boss, is there any sequel to 'Picking the Moon'? I've come here three times to ask!"
"That's right, my young master is waiting to see it, hurry up and hurry him up!"
"You're anxious, and so are we," the shopkeeper said. "But this future lay Buddhist said it'll take about two weeks. If we wait... Eh?!"
"Boss, it's been a while since we last met. How are you doing?" Fang Shu asked.
"Thanks to you, I was so anxious. By the way, where are Scholar Yan and Scholar Ma? They didn't come?"
"They didn't come, but we picked..."
"Wait a minute!" The shopkeeper interrupted without waiting for the man to finish his words. "Our young master is in the backyard. Please talk to him."
As the shopkeeper ushered the person to the back, he whispered, "A lot of people have been asking for more recently. You probably didn't bring many books with you when you came back this time. I guess they'll be scrambling to get them now that you've said that."
Yu Qinglong thought, is that really that exaggerated? He thought it would be popular, but "attractiveness" is also time-sensitive and will decline over time. He guessed that people might not pay attention to it later. Unexpectedly, there are still people asking, so he asked, "Are there a lot of people asking?"
The shopkeeper looked at them as if he had seen a Buddha and said, "Isn't it true? If you don't come soon, our young master will send people to Qixia Town to inquire. Young master! The person you've been waiting for has arrived!"
Upon hearing this, Young Master Lu Dexin rushed out: "He's really here? Ouch! Quick, where's the book?!"
Yu Qinglong took it out from Fang Shu's bag: "Here, take a look."
Lu Dexin said, "Old Chen, quickly serve them some tea."
Last time, we wrote about Gu Huai'en copying small picture books to make money. Mo Lanzhou could hear everyone's thoughts but not Gu Huai'en's. He just silently helped Gu Huai'en.
Gu Huai'en didn't know that the person who helped him was his junior fellow apprentice whom he had trouble teaching but couldn't. He was grateful to his benefactor for helping him, but at the same time he was curious about his identity.
He silently kept an eye on all the people around him who might be able to help him, and finally, he discovered some suspicious activity.
The first volume ends here, but it makes people itch to read it!
Can Gu Huai'en find out that the stupid junior brother is the one who is secretly helping him?
This is the part written in Yu Qinglong's second volume. Gu Huai'en found a hair in the work-study mission bag left for him by his benefactor.
The hair was very long and shiny, but since everyone else had long hair, he couldn't guess whose it was.
He secretly thought that the other person must be a gentle and kind person, so he carefully kept the hair. Whenever he had the chance, he would take it out and observe other people's hair colors to see if there was anyone with a similar hair color.
He looked at everyone, but he didn't look at the person who studied with him all day long, because he subconsciously felt that it was absolutely impossible.
So he never found the answer.
Until one day, he planned to meet his junior at night to deliver some things, but he learned from his junior's family that his junior had gone to bed early.
Rest as soon as it gets dark?
This wasn't unusual, perhaps he was just tired. But the hair he always carried with him glowed strangely as he approached his junior's home...
This is so weird!
The further he took it, the lighter the light would be. The closer he took it to his junior brother's house, the stronger the light on his hair would be.
So magical!
Swish!
Young Master Lu quickly turned the page!
At this time, Fang Shu whispered to Qinglong, "It seems that the young master likes it very much."
Yu Qinglong smiled without saying anything, thinking to himself, of course, you don’t know the charm of “masquerade writing”.
The young master finished reading it quickly, but he found that not only did it not satisfy his craving, but it made him even more itchy!
At the end of this time, Gu Huai'en discovered that Junior Brother Mo Lanzhou seemed to be the owner of the hair and his benefactor! However, when he made a promise with all his heart, he found that the other party was a man!
a bolt from the blue!
Lu Dexin was about to cry: "This is too good at luring people. Will we have to wait another half a month?!"
Yu Qinglong said, "No need. A new one will be available in about ten days. I also have another item I'd like the young master to take a look at and see if it's worth selling."
"What is it?"
"Pen holder." Yu Qinglong pulled one out of his schoolbag and showed it to Lu Dexin. "Take a look. It can hold about fifteen sheets of paper without folding, three or four brushes, and a stick of ink. You can also use the lid as an inkstone."
“!!!” Lu Dexin had never seen anything like this before.
Places that sell stationery also sell boxes for brushes, inkstones, and paper, but those are big square boxes. How can they be as delicate and practical as this tube?!
Lu Dexin asked, "This will definitely sell. But how much do you plan to sell it for, little brother?"
Yu Qinglong said, "This one, made of ash wood and inlaid with sandstone, sells for 150 wen. And this one, made of paulownia wood and limestone, sells for 200 wen. If the young master has no objection, I'd like to consign it to you. I'll give you 10% of the proceeds for every piece I sell. What do you think?"
Lu Dexin thought it wasn't much. Even the most common inkstone cost a hundred or eighty wen. And the boxes for the four treasures of the study would cost at least three hundred wen each, with the better wooden ones going for seven or eight hundred wen. Even better ones would cost several dozen taels of silver.
But the point is, those are just available if you want them, they're not rare. Unlike this? I've never seen it before!
How convenient to take with you when you go out!
Lu Dexin said, "How about this? I'll decide the price. I'll buy from you. How about this ash wood for 120 wen each, and the paulownia wood for 170 wen each?"
Yu Qinglong raised the price to give the other party room to lower the price, but he couldn't agree too quickly, otherwise it would be difficult to make an offer next time. He hesitated.
Lu Dexin said, "Although this thing is very novel, many people who study already have something to hold their writing brushes, inkstones, and paper. I might not be able to sell it that easily. My price is already quite high."
Yu Qinglong said, "But it takes time and money to get these things here. There's also labor costs. How about you add five cents per item?"
Lu Dexin calculated that if one item was five more coins, the total would be two strings of cash and one hundred and twenty-five coins.
He simply said, "How about this, let's each give a little. You give me a little more, and I'll give you two guan plus a hundred wen. I'll sell your achievements to you, and I'll decide how much it sells for."
Yu Qinglong thought it was okay, but considering the long term, he suggested, "The young master has much more business experience than us. But this thing's advantage lies in its ingenuity. If we sell it too expensive, others will see the huge profits and will probably follow suit. So around 200 wen should be the best price."
The more Lu Dexin read it, the more he thought the idea was ingenious. Yu Qinglong's words made some sense, so he said, "Brother Xiao is right. I'll think about it. But I have to say, you can't sell these things elsewhere. If you have any good things, please think of Dexin Bookstore first."
Yu Qinglong said it was no problem.
There was also money for the books. This time, Lu Dexin gave him two taels of silver. Adding a few manuscripts, the total came to two and a half taels. Together with the money for the pen holder, it totaled four taels and six cents.
Yu Qinglong received the money and signed a new book contract. But before he could even leave the library, someone suddenly called out, "Hey, those two students at the door, please wait!"
Many of the people who came here were students, so it was normal to call them that. Yu Qinglong and Fang Shu subconsciously turned around to see who it was. They found that they didn't know who it was, but they could tell at a glance that the other person was also a student.
The student came over and said with a smile, "I wonder where you bought that thing you're carrying on your shoulders? It doesn't look like a bookcase, and I wonder if it's for books?"
Fang Shuke treasured his schoolbag. Upon hearing this, he subconsciously grabbed the straps and said, "This thing is called a 'schoolbag', and it can indeed hold books, but I didn't buy it. I..."
Yu Qinglong immediately rushed to ask, "Classmate, do you want to buy it?"
Fang Shu said: "I won't sell this!"
Yu Qinglong nudged him with his elbow, smiled at the person across from him, and said, "It's true that it's not for sale right now. But if you want to buy it, it will be available in half a month. You can also pay a deposit and get it directly in half a month."
The person opposite asked, "How much is one?"
Yu Qinglong said, "Five hundred coins."
The other party hesitated: "It's not cheap."
Yu Qinglong said, "Indeed. However, we made this item ourselves based on our own drawings; it's not sold anywhere else. It's also lightweight, durable, and has plenty of compartments. You can use it to organize your books, and the pockets on both sides can hold a water bottle and pen holder. The pen holder we sell with it will also be available at Dexin Bookstore soon."
"Pen holder?" someone asked. "What kind of pen holder?"
When they hear the word "pen holder", what comes to mind is a large cup-like holder for pens.
Yu Qinglong took out Fang Shu's inkstone. "This one looks like this. It can hold paper, pens, and even ink sticks. The lid is the most special; when you flip it over, it becomes an inkstone."
The people who were reading turned their heads and said, "What a convenient pen holder!"
The person who asked about the price of the backpack asked, "How much is one?"
Yu Qinglong said, "Ask the shopkeeper. He has it."
The shopkeeper, having just received confirmation of the price from the young master, replied, "There are two kinds, one for two hundred wen, and the other for two hundred and sixty wen."
Someone immediately came over to see the real thing, and the person who asked about the backpack still wanted it more.
He asked, "How much deposit do I have to pay for this schoolbag?"
Yu Qinglong said, "A deposit of one hundred wen per item will suffice. If you're sure you want it, we can issue a receipt after you pay."
The other party said: "Okay, but how do I know if you will come again?"
Before Yu Qinglong could say anything, the young master said, "I'll be your guarantor."
The other party said, "Okay, I'll order four. I have four brothers in my family, so one is just right for each of us. Here's the deposit."
The other party was holding small change, probably about five cents. Yu Qinglong gave him a hundred coins and asked Fang Shu to write a receipt.
When he came, he had a bag full of pen holders, but when he left, the pen holders were gone, and he had five taels of silver left on him!
That’s five taels of silver!
Fang Shu felt unreal walking down the street. He had worked so hard to pass the imperial examination, and had exempted many of his relatives from taxes, yet he only received four and a half ounces of silver in a year as a thank-you gift!
And his husband! He was able to earn so much money in just half a month!
Even if all the capital is removed, there is still four taels!
Four taels!
No! If I collect the money for four schoolbags later, that would be six taels!
Fang Shu turned around and looked at Yu Qinglong with great respect: "Brother Long, how about I not take the exam anymore? I'll be your shopkeeper, right?"
Yu Qinglong pinched his ear without thinking: "What are you thinking? Study hard! No matter how good this business is, it might stop selling or be taken away by others one day. Your business is a sure thing."
Fang Shu was deeply skeptical: "Really?"
Yu Qinglong said, "Really? Hurry up and save up some money. When we don't have to worry about money anymore, we'll have a baby too."
He's been seeing Pan Ge'er from time to time lately, and he's been a little jealous. The little guy is plump and white, and thanks to their care, he's been eating well and gaining weight. His babbling is so adorable!
-----------------------
Author's words: Fang Shu: Is it true that mortals like us can eat Immortal Brother? [Please]
Qinglong: Sure. Remember to go and pray to the gods after eating [roll eyes]
Fang Shu: I understand! Please God, I won’t get struck by lightning after I finish eating my Long Ge Er! [Starry eyes]
Qinglong: [covering his face with laughter and crying]
Fang Shu: Aunts, I have to work hard! This way we can have a baby [Let me see]
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
