Chapter 71 Jinjiang First Release Chapter 71 Getting Rich Overnight is This...
Two large braised geese, tear the meat apart and put it on a plate, then stir-fry the remaining bones, then rinse them with boiling water, and continue cooking for a while until the soup comes out.
It's not as rich as roast goose or goose bones, but it still has flavor. Add some tofu and chopped green onions and it becomes a delicious dish, perfect with steamed buns and flower rolls.
Chunks of goose meat, stir-fried leeks with dried clams, stir-fried mushrooms with bok choy, and scrambled eggs with tomatoes.
These tomatoes were picked from the two trees planted by Yu Qinglong.
He was originally worried that the two trees would not survive after such a heavy rain, but he didn't expect that both trees were still quite strong.
Seeds that had weathered these storms were different from ordinary seeds, and this was also due to the Fang family's high ground. Yu Qinglong, however, feared that the cold weather would affect them, so he dug them early and placed them in a trough nailed to a plank, bringing them inside at night. This was how they managed to preserve their nine fruits.
The fruits were ripe by the end of August, but in varying degrees of ripeness. Yu Qinglong picked them in order and kept them. Today, they were all perfectly ripe. He used four to scramble eggs and four to mix with sugar for everyone to try.
He only kept the best large fruit for seed.
This time, there were two tables at home, but he was the only one who had eaten the tomatoes. At first, he asked everyone to try, and everyone except Fang Shu seemed a little hesitant. But seeing Fang Shu eating faster and faster, and wondering if there was any left, he quickly followed suit and tried some. He found it sour and sweet, juicy, and incredibly delicious.
"Do you have any seeds left, brother? I'll plant some next year," said Fang Shan. "This tastes really good whether it's raw or cooked."
"I've saved some seeds. I'll grow seedlings next year and give them to everyone. Everyone gets a share."
"Okay then. I'll be waiting."
"I want two too," Li Zheng said with a smile. "They look like fruit."
“It can be eaten as both a vegetable and a fruit.”
In the end, Zhuangzhuang drank all the soup in the plate.
The men sat at one table, and the husbands and their wives sat at another table. There was plenty of steamed buns and vegetables, as well as meat and wine.
In previous years, people probably wouldn't have bothered celebrating the festival at a time like this. But this year, not only did they celebrate the festival, but it was even more lively than in previous years. Everyone thought it was all thanks to Yu Qinglong.
Just imagine, if it weren't for the fact that you could still make money at this critical moment, who would dare to sit down and eat and drink so peacefully? They would definitely be worried about their livelihood outside.
The Fangshan family was the only one present who didn't benefit from Yu Qinglong's influence this time. They knew about Yu Qinglong's bag-making business, but neither of them was particularly skilled. Zhuangzhuang's clothes were made by Fang Wu, so they didn't get involved.
Mrs. Fangshan is good at cooking, but her needlework is average.
However, 70% of his family's land is under Fang Shu's name, and Fang Shu doesn't ask for registration fees. They have some savings, so they are not too worried. At worst, they can just work harder next year.
The group spent the whole afternoon eating and drinking, and only dispersed when it got dark.
That night, Yu Qingye and Bai Wanqiu didn't even return to Shangxi Village. They went directly to stay at Li Zheng's place.
When they heard the rooster crow again, Fang Shu and Yu Qinglong drove the ox cart over. They had to help them move things early in the morning, and even Yan Xikuan and Ma Qinsui were there.
"We don't have much stuff, how dare we trouble Brother Ma and Brother Yan?" Bai Wanqiu felt a surge of panic early in the morning. He needed three scholars just to move house?!
"No trouble," said Ma Qinshou, "defending the city and taking care of Brother Xiaoyu is our responsibility."
"That's right." Yan Xikuan also said, "More people means faster movement."
"Father, Dad, I've been thinking, why don't we just put our rice in the Fang family's threshing ground?" Yu Qinglong said to his parents, "There are always people watching over there, so we don't have to run back and forth to prevent it from getting lost. Then we can fight together with the Fang family."
"But this matter needs to be discussed with my in-laws." Zhou Yuehua said.
"I've already asked. My parents said my father-in-law and my father-in-law can use the Fang family threshing ground at any time."
"Then, why don't we move over there?" Zhou Yuehua asked Yu Dayou, "The second brother and his wife have already moved over here."
Originally, my second son and his wife were in Xiaxi Village, able to look after the rice at home. But now that they were in Xiaxi, it was inconvenient. Besides, everyone was here, so going there to thresh the rice was a waste of time.
Yu Dayou thought about it and thought it was a good idea. This way they would be closer and it would be more convenient in the future.
He also agreed to do so and decided to go to Shangxi Village with the children.
Yu Qinglong said, "With so many of us, we can finish it quickly. We can come back and clean up without delaying our afternoon work." Yu Qinglong distributed steamed buns and water to everyone, and also brought a portion for Li Zheng.
Li Zheng didn't hesitate this time and took it with a smile: "Then I'll clean up the kitchen first and get a bigger stove when the time comes. It will be more convenient for more people to use it."
Bai Wanqiu felt relieved when she heard this. Who would believe it if she told anyone else? She had clearly slept in someone else's house last night, even in the same room with her father-in-law and father, but she and her husband slept more soundly than they had at her mother's house.
Move! Move quickly!
An elder and a few young men arrived at Shangxi Village. They split up, with Bai Wanqiu and Yu Qinglong going to the Bai family to pack up their belongings while the others went to transport the rice.
Bai Wanqiu didn't beat around the bush and directly stated that they would move out today.
Mr. and Mrs. Bai were very happy and naturally did not stop them.
Actually, there wasn't much stuff, just two wooden boxes and some small household items, which could be loaded onto the cart by two men. However, the ox cart hadn't arrived yet, so Bai Wanqiu and Yu Qinglong went to Doctor Mo's house first.
Yu Qinglong had come to visit his master, to see if there was anything he could do at home, and secondly, to get some night cream. Both he and Bai Wanqiu needed it.
It’s a bit embarrassing to say this, but luckily my master has sold a lot of this thing and doesn’t take it seriously at all.
What Yu Qinglong didn't expect was that his master could tell at a glance that he had had sex and told him not to eat cold food in the future.
"Master, how did you tell that?" Yu Qinglong couldn't help but ask while Bai Wanqiu was in the toilet. He felt like there wouldn't be much change, especially in the early stages. He hadn't given birth before. He'd believe someone who'd given birth could tell the difference, but he hadn't even had one yet. And he was walking normally today.
"Your expression and tone of voice will change, and the energy around you will also be different," the master said. "You can't feel it now, but you will understand it slowly in the future."
"So if you're really pregnant, then you can't have sex, right?"
"Why not? Aside from those who are already weak or who are already pregnant, moderate intercourse won't affect anyone else. Just don't overdo it and don't lose control. When have you ever heard of someone losing their baby during intercourse? Newly married couples have normal intercourse before they know they're pregnant, but the baby isn't conceived until they know they're pregnant; they're there before that."
"I see. Thank you, Master. By the way, Master, I also saw some medical books for sale in the bookstore in the county town. Can the medical records you compiled be sold as books? That way, anyone who is interested in medicine can buy them and read them."
"Oh, I've thought about it, but it's too much trouble." Doctor Mo waved his hand, looking like he didn't want to bother with that. "Besides, as for this person, it's better to have less trouble than more. Being a doctor means you have to worry about more consequences than others. I'm too lazy to worry about that."
"Indeed, it's better to be as comfortable as you are now. I'll go back first, and I'll come back in a few days."
"Go ahead, and don't bring anything next time. I don't need anything."
"I understand, Master. I'll bring a jar of wine. This is pure white wine. You can add herbs to make your own medicinal wine. I guess the weather is getting colder, and many people will need medicinal wine. If I can sell it, I'll sell it. If not, we'll use it for ourselves."
The master smiled and pointed at Yu Qinglong: "You, exquisite heart."
Yu Qinglong smiled, bowed and left.
He and Bai Wanqiu went to the vegetable garden at home.
The garden isn't quite stocked this season. A bunch of them went bad after the watering, so there aren't many left. But there are still some, like some late-planted cabbages and radishes, the chive sprouts, and the onion seeds. And the dandelions, too, I picked and harvested the seeds.
Yu Qinglong told Bai Wanqiu to take away everything that could be taken away.
Bai Wanqiu didn't want to stay here anymore. The Yu family was his home now. Wherever the Yu family was, he would be there, and he would take advantage of them.
The two of them raked the vegetable garden clean, collecting a sack of goods. Later, the oxcart arrived with the last load of rice, half a cartload of rice. Fang Shu and Yu Qingye loaded the boxes onto the cart, along with the sack of vegetables, and then hurried back to Xiaxi Village.
Arriving at Li Zheng's house, Bai Wanqiu slowly began packing up her suitcases. Actually, there wasn't much to pack; it would be done in a moment.
In the afternoon, everyone went to Fang's house again.
The division of labor was now clear. Fang Dingman led Fang Shan and his wife in the fields, and now Yu Dayou and Yu Qingye from the Yu Qing family had joined them. During the drying season, they planned to spend one day turning the rice in the fields and the other day collecting firewood in the mountains, preparing for winter.
The rest of the people were at Fang's house, working on their schoolbags together.
The materials purchased previously could be used to make another batch, so Yu Qinglong drew a new design this time. However, the inner lining remained the same, so he could finish it first. As for the outer design, he chose a different color of fabric this time.
The coarse cloth he had originally bought was gray, but this time he planned to use a deep blue color, similar to the color of modern dark blue jeans. It was very stain-resistant, and embroidering it would also make it look more refined.
He planned to let his father and Bai Wanqiu do the embroidery, as they were the only two with the best skills for this level of detailed work. As for the remaining sewing and mending, everyone could do it together; Yu Qinglong didn't plan to participate for a long time.
He wanted to write more of "Picking the Moon" as soon as possible, and then asked Fang Shu to set aside a special time to help him polish it.
Fang Shu’s time cannot be taken up too much by him, so he has to calm down and study.
Another eight days later.
Yu Qinglong concentrated on finishing the fourth volume, while the men and women outside also made ten new school bags.
According to past custom, they should be preparing to go to the county town by now, but Yu Qinglong didn't seem to have such plans. Fang Shu asked, "Brother Long, do you want to wait until you finish writing the fifth volume before going?"
Yu Qinglong said, "About the same. Last time we said about ten days, but this time we didn't. So according to the original contract, I can deliver it in about half a month or so. I want to see how much they crave 'Zhai Yue Ji'."
He hadn't considered printing plates for sale before, as printing plates was a hassle and expensive, and if sales were low, he'd lose money. But Lu Dexin was willing to print the book, which meant the book had indeed made Dexin Bookstore a lot of money.
But he didn't know how much he had earned. Without knowing, he couldn't finally agree on a reasonable transaction price with Lu Dexin.
Fang Shu asked, "Should we send this scroll to Qinfu and Xikuan first so they can copy it?"
Yu Qinglong said, "Yes. Not only do they have to copy it, but since we have more time this time, they can make more copies. We've seen people waiting both times we went back. These people will definitely buy or rent it as soon as there's a follow-up. We'll have more cash with us, and the young master will accept it. This way, we can make more money, and Brother Xikuan and Brother Qinsui will get more too."
Fang Shu rubbed Yu Qinglong's shoulders and said, "Thank you for taking care of my classmates. It's all because of me, your incompetence, that I've caused you so much trouble."
Yu Qinglong smiled and turned his head. "How can you be useless? The things I wrote can't even be put in the library without polishing. Husband, don't underestimate yourself."
He often used plain language, writing down the story and then leaving it alone. Thanks to Fang Shu's good writing skills and patience, he never took any risks in his work.
It's just that he's wasting his time and Fang Shu's time, so the money he makes now is too little. The cost of his time is different from Fang Shu's time.
The countdown to next year's autumn exam was approaching, and Fang Shu would spend about one to one and a half hours every day polishing his manuscript.
Dexin Bookstore is currently selling a pre-printed copy for six hundred coins. How much can Lu Dexin possibly sell? Regardless of how much he sells, since he thought of printing, he's bound to make a lot of money. So, shouldn't he give his scholar husband a bit more?
Yu Qinglong and Fang Shu did not go to the county town for ten days, but it was recorded in the fifth volume.
On the eleventh day, Lu Dexin asked Manager Chen for the umpteenth time, "Hasn't anyone arrived yet? Didn't you go to the Xinlai Inn and ask? I heard last time that they stayed there when they entered the city."
Shopkeeper Chen was almost annoyed by the questions and replied for the umpteenth time, "Young Master, I've asked, and they're definitely not here. I've already told the staff at the Xinlai Inn that if two of these people come to our bookstore with a message, I'll pay them for running errands. If the staff didn't come, then they didn't come."
Who doesn’t want to make money?
Shopkeeper Chen has a headache!
Lu Dexin also felt a headache!
The key now wasn't just about making money; he was also looking forward to it! He had always loved reading storybooks, and his daily pleasure was to read them over a cup of tea after a meal. He was tired of all the available ones, and now that there was finally something new, he couldn't even keep up!
"Wait two more days! If all else fails, send someone to Qixia Town tomorrow to ask Yan Xikuan. He should know what's going on, right? You can also ask the locals if they know about this future Buddhist monk."
"But wasn't it agreed to take about two weeks? Besides, the round trip fare alone would cost three hundred coins."
"About half a month. If he comes back after 17 or 18 days, I'll be so anxious. Three hundred coins is three hundred coins. Why would you bother with it when you can just make it back from selling a book?"
Shopkeeper Chen thought about it and agreed. He hadn't expected the book to sell so well. As soon as he announced it was available for pre-order, dozens of people had already paid deposits.
You should know that most people rent these books. Since they are not cheap to buy and are not something that can be used for learning, they rarely sell printed copies, only handwritten copies made by poor students. Printed copies are expensive, so they need to sell a certain number of copies to recoup the capital, so they don't do it easily.
This time they did this with some risk expectations, but they didn't expect that as soon as the pre-sale news of "Picking the Moon" was released, so many people made reservations, and many people came to inquire about it every day.
Shopkeeper Chen was asked this question so many times a day that his ears were almost covered with calluses.
Lu Dexin waited until the flowers were almost withered. He was getting a headache from being rushed, and he was also getting impatient waiting.
But two days later, there was still no sign of him!
Shopkeeper Chen then sent a clever man to Qixia Town. The town was small, so it was easy to find out where the two scholars lived. He went to the local academy and someone there knew where they lived. However, when he arrived, he found that the two scholars were not at home!
The neighbors said they went out a day ago, but no one knew where they went.
Yan Xikuan and Ma Qinsui came to the county town with Fang Shu and Yu Qinglong, but this time they did not stay at the Xinlai Inn.
Yu Qinglong decided to move to a new place that was very close to the printing factory. After they spent the night there, Yu Qinglong went to find a printing factory clerk.
Money gets you everything these days. And what Yu Qinglong was asking about wasn't some secret, nor was it a matter of state concern, so he only spent ten cents to find out how many copies of "Picking the Moon" the printing house had printed.
A full one hundred books!
One hundred books is not the total number of three volumes, but one hundred books in one volume!
The waiter said, "Sir, you're thinking of doing business with 'Picking the Moon' too? I'm telling you, if you want to do it, you've got to do it quickly. This storybook is really popular right now. Many young masters and young ladies love to read it. If you haven't read it, you won't even be able to get a word in when you get together."
Yu Qinglong: “…”
The waiter thought he was hesitating and said, "I heard that people have been coming to Dexin Bookstore every day lately to inquire about it. Because of this set of storybooks, many customers from Timing Bookstore and Tianya Bookstore have flocked to Dexin Bookstore."
"Then, little brother, do you know where these books are going to be shipped? Are they all ordered by Dexin Bookstore?"
"That's not the case. I heard from our shopkeeper that more than half of the copies were shipped to the provincial capital the same day they were printed."
"I see." Yu Qinglong gave the other party another ten coins, "Thank you very much, brother."
"You're welcome. Sir, you weren't sent by the Ti Ming Book House to inquire about this, were you?"
"no."
"That's good. Anyway, if anyone else asks you about this, don't tell them I told you."
Yu Qinglong nodded: "I swear, I won't let anyone know that it was you who told me this."
The boy smiled and said, "Then take care."
After saying that, he went back to the printing factory with light steps.
One hundred books multiplied by three volumes is one hundred taels and five cents, which is a full one hundred and fifty taels of silver!
Lu Dexin is so fucking evil.
He was given two taels of silver to send him off, while he earned over a hundred taels for himself?!
This only counts the selling price, not the rental income. Generally speaking, with enough time, rental income will be higher than the sale price. He hasn't even calculated what the provincial capital would sell it for. It certainly wouldn't be the same price as in the county town.
So that's how the term "profiteer" came about. Huaitong County has a population of 210,000, with about 70,000 living in the county seat. Maybe this wasn't the only time the book was printed!
He knew that Lu Dexin would make a lot of money, but he didn't expect her to make so much.
That night, Yu Qinglong took a few people to the inn closest to the Ti Ming Book House. The inn was a bit expensive, but Yu Qinglong didn't mind. After settling in, he didn't rush to De Xin Book House.
He brought stationery and manuscripts this time, but he didn't plan to come to the door again.
In the morning he went to the stationery store to drink tea, and in the afternoon he went to the Ti Ming Bookstore to read.
Interestingly, the owners of both places actually recognized him.
Guo Qingshan, the owner of the Timing Bookstore, hired someone to write a story similar to "Picking the Moon", but after writing it, he always felt that something was missing. He was just worrying about it, but he didn't expect Yu Qinglong to come!
He quickly ordered his waiter to bring out some good tea and snacks, then sat down across from Yu Qinglong and Fang Shu and inquired, "Master Yu, I heard that 'Picking the Moon' was written by you?"
Yu Qinglong said, "You misunderstood. It wasn't me, it was a friend of mine. I was just running an errand and delivering a message."
Guo Qingshan said, "I see. This "Picking the Moon" has been really popular recently, and I was wondering if you, my dear friend, could let our Ti Ming Shu She also get some of the benefits. Don't worry, if this thing can be successful, you will definitely benefit from it."
Yu Qinglong smiled and said, "Thank you, Boss Guo, for your kindness. It's just that I can't make up my mind about this matter. I came here to see if there is any Lu Ban Jing for sale here."
Guo Qingshan said, "Yes, yes, if you need it, I can give you one."
With just one look, the waiter immediately brought the book and presented it to Yu Qinglong with both hands.
Yu Qinglong asked for the price, took out the full amount and said, "I'm not sure if I can do the favor you asked for, so I naturally don't want to accept your kindness. But I'll ask."
"You're doing me a great favor by asking. Please give me some face." Pushing the money back, Guo Qingshan said, "Actually, I also know that this "Picking the Moon" is hard to sell here after it's sold at Dexin Bookstore. So, I want to ask if this future layman has any other storybooks to sell to us. If so, I will definitely offer a good price."
"Okay, I'll ask when I get back."
"Okay, okay, thank you for your help, brother."
Yu Qinglong took a sip of tea, but showed no sign of leaving. He then asked about other matters related to the bookstore's operations, including whether the stationery was popular in the county town.
Guo Qingshan had already had a batch of those stationery items made, and they were already in his library. He was naturally a little embarrassed when he heard this, and coughed softly, "To be honest, Brother Xiaoyu, this pen holder is selling very well. It's just that since I'm competing with Lu Dexin, I can't charge too high a price. It's profitable now, but I definitely won't sell as much as he could alone."
"How much?"
"Ordinary ones sell for 150 wen, and better ones sell for 200 wen."
That means one person earns about thirty cents, which is indeed much less than before, but it’s actually not bad.
Yu Qinglong nodded.
At the same time, Yan Xikuan went to Dexin Bookstore.
When Lu Dexin saw him, she dropped what she was holding and hurried over to him: "Mr. Yan, why are you here so late? Did you bring the fourth volume?"
Yan Xikuan looked disappointed that his work hadn't been completed. "It's still the fourth volume. Young Master, have you offended my brother Xiao Yu? I saw that Boss Guo Qingshan was treating him to tea."
Lu Dexin jumped up on the spot: "I was wondering why he didn't come!" He paced back and forth and said, "But I didn't offend him! The last time I came here, I asked Lao Chen to give him cakes and osmanthus honey. It must be that bastard Guo Qingshan who kidnapped him! Zhao Tong! Come with me to the Ti Ming Book House!"
Yan Xikuan didn't stop him, but just followed behind.
The two book houses were not far from each other, just on the same street. Lu Dexin hadn't walked far when he saw the plaque with the name "Book House" on it.
At this time, Yu Qinglong just came out of the Timing Bookstore. Guo Qingshan politely escorted him to the door, smiling like a flower!
Lu Dexin hissed, walked over and glared at Guo Qingshan, then smiled and said to Qinglong and Fang Shu, "Brother Fang, Brother Yu, what brings you here? I have all the books you need."
Yu Qinglong smiled politely, "Boss Guo is so welcoming, so he came over. He heard I'm familiar with the future lay Buddhist, so he wanted to chat with me. Is Boss Lu getting impatient?"
When Lu Dexin heard him address her like that, her heart skipped a beat. "Why call me Boss Lu? That sounds so formal. Have you eaten here? If not, I'll treat you two to a simple meal before returning to the study."
Yu Qinglong said, "I have. The snacks at the Ti Ming Book House are all delicious."
"Then I'll go back and have my staff arrange something better for you. Brother Xiaoyu, we agreed that this "Picking the Moon" would only be sold to Dexin Book House and me."
"That's right. But I didn't say I'd always sell it at that price. Boss Lu printed over a hundred copies at the printing factory and started pre-sale. Each volume costs six hundred wen, and all three volumes together cost one tael and five qian. But I only get two taels of silver for each volume. After all, there's also a handwritten copy, which comes from the two taels and five qian, so I have to deduct five qian. I also have to add the travel expenses, so I still don't make more than two taels. How much will be left for the future layman? Do you think the future layman will still be willing to write after knowing this? Boss Lu, making money is good, but you can't treat others as fools, what do you think?"
"Yes, yes, yes. Oh no!" Lu Dexin said, "I did ask someone to carve the plates for the printed version. But I haven't sold any of my books yet. Brother Xiaoyu, you're not in this business, so you don't know that it costs me dozens of taels of silver to carve a single plate. It's expensive. Besides, I'm not planning on not raising the price for you."
"So how much do you think it should increase?"
"How about you, brother Xiaoyu, tell me the number?"
"Either sixty taels per volume. From now on, how Dexin Bookstore sells it, and how much it sells for, has nothing to do with me. Or forty taels. From now on, you have to give me 50% of the sale price and rent for every volume you sell."
"Isn't this too much?"
Lu Dexin felt like he'd been ripped off. This was like taking half of his profits! Who, after all, let Yu Qinglong know how many copies he'd printed?! He'd originally planned to ship the bulk of the copies to the provincial capital to sell, so Yu Qinglong and Fang Shu wouldn't know how many copies he'd printed!
Could it be Guo Qingshan?! It must be that bastard!
Yu Qinglong said, "You think it's too much, but some people don't. To be honest, I'm doing this out of respect for Brother Xikuan. Otherwise, I wouldn't mind selling it in the provincial capital."
Lu Dexin knew there was more money to be made in the provincial capital. But he wanted to earn it himself! However, sixty taels was indeed too much, so he asked, "How about forty taels? Forty taels, just for my family, until everything is finished! By the way, how many volumes does the book have in total?"
Yu Qinglong said: "About ten to twelve volumes."
Lu Dexin said, "Then it'll be forty taels per volume. If you agree, brother Xiaoyu, let's sign the contract for the entire book right away. And if there are any new books in the future, you have to ask Dexin Bookstore to supply them first."
Yu Qinglong thought for a moment and said, "One volume is fifty taels. The price of new books will be determined by the book itself, and it also depends on Mr. Lu's sincerity. I think this will be good for everyone."
I don’t know if this book will become unpopular after it becomes popular, so it’s more appropriate to judge by sales volume.
Lu Dexin said: "Deal!"
Fang Shu then said, "Boss Lu, remember to start counting from the first volume."
Lu Dexin: "Ah?!"
Fang Shu said, "That's right. The first three volumes weren't blown by the wind either."
Yu Qinglong glanced at Fang Shu in surprise. He hadn't even considered this. He had originally intended to start with the fourth volume and pay fifty taels of silver per volume. After all, the previous volumes had been negotiated and paid for.
Lu Dexin also felt that this was unreasonable: "Doesn't it start from the fourth volume?"
Fang Shu said, "It says one volume is fifty taels, but it doesn't say which volume it starts from. Could it be that you didn't make any money from the first three volumes?"
Lu Dexin: "..." Is that why the ancients said that a biting dog doesn't bark?! This Mr. Fang rarely speaks, so why is he so infuriating when he does?
Lu Dexin looked at Yu Qinglong for help. Yu Qinglong remained silent.
Finally, Boss Lu gritted his teeth and said, "I've already paid for the previous ones. It would be a shame to raise the price again. But since Brother Fang has asked, how about this? Let's both make a concession. I'll give you a total of fifty taels for the first three volumes."
Fang Shu looked at Yu Qinglong: "Long'er, what do you think?"
Yu Qinglong suppressed his laughter and said, "Okay."
He took out four or five volumes of books. Lu Dexin finally felt a little relieved when she saw them. Then she was very surprised: "You brought two volumes this time?"
"Yes, that's why I'm a little late." Yu Qinglong said, "Young Master, please help me settle the bill after you've reviewed it."
"Okay! Wait a moment."
Lu Dexin quickly took a look at it and confirmed that both the handwriting and the content were impeccable, then signaled to Manager Chen to take the money.
Yu Qinglong, however, took out a new-style schoolbag and casually asked, "I wonder if the young master still wants this?"
Lu Dexin's eyes lit up: "Take it! Guo Qingshan, that bastard, I'm counting on him to have more new goods than him!"
Yu Qinglong nodded. "This edition's materials, workmanship, and design are all different from the previous one. It costs six hundred wen each. And the pen holder, this time made of finer materials and with a revised design, not only does it store brushes, inkstones, paper, and inkstones, but it can also be used as a paperweight. It's more practical, and it also costs six hundred wen each."
This is not something sold to ordinary students.
Lu Dexin took a closer look and decided that selling them in the provincial capital would be no problem, so he kept them all. He then asked, "Will there be new styles next time?"
Yu Qinglong said, "Maybe there will be."
Lu Dexin nodded. "This time the amount is large, so we can't pay with cash. I'll ask Lao Chen to get you some banknotes."
Yu Qinglong said, "No, I want cash."
In this era, people still don't fully understand the nature of money. If, like with the Ming Dynasty's treasure notes, we don't understand the corresponding reserve requirement system, and the silver notes depreciate rapidly, we'll suffer a huge loss. Cash is still more practical.
So the storybook, the schoolbag, and the pen holder, the three items together totaled one hundred and fifty-nine taels and six cents - this time the reward was not calculated based on two taels and five cents, and in the end Yu Qinglong gave a small discount and received a total of one hundred and sixty taels in cash.
Lu Dexin scraped together some money and paid the bill with silver ingots.
Seeing the huge amount of money being lost, Lu Dexin felt extremely painful.
During this process, Fang Shu secretly pinched himself three times, and each time it hurt. But he really did feel the pain.
He couldn't help but suspect that he was dreaming. After all, one hundred! Sixty! Two!
This is his family’s ten years of savings!
He didn't just marry a boy, he married the God of Wealth!
Yu Qinglong gave five taels of silver to Ma Qinsui and Yan Xikuan respectively, causing the three scholars to suspect that they had not woken up when they returned.
But that’s just so much money!
But Yu Qinglong knew that wealth should not be shown off, so he took the money but did not buy anything for himself. They hurried back to Xiaxi Village without stopping.
Ma Qinsui and Yan Xikuan stayed in Qixia Town halfway, and they finally decided to change houses!
Fang Shu's heart was pounding all the way, as he was afraid of encountering thieves. Fortunately, he got home safely.
After saying hello to their parents, the couple hurried back into the house and hid the money.
After thinking about it, he felt a little uneasy, so he divided them into three different places. Afterwards, Yu Qinglong returned ten taels of silver to Fang Wushi.
Fang Wu was stunned when she saw so much money: "Selling for so much?!"
Fang Shu said, "No, mother. The bag and the pen holder together are less than ten taels. It's from the sale of the storybook Long Ge'er wrote. This is his gift to you as a filial piety."
Fang Wu had worked hard to earn money over the years, but most of it had been spent on her family and children. This was the first time she had seen any real money coming in!
She had never imagined that someone would give her money alone. She had been shunned by the Wu family as a child, and everything had been difficult. When she finally left, she received some money, but it was in exchange for her promise not to see her father again.
Fang Wu wiped her tears and said, "Is this really for mother alone?"
Yu Qinglong said, "Yes, mother. I was thinking of making you a bracelet, but I didn't know what you would like, so I'll give you this silver ingot. You can go to town anytime and make it in the style you like."
Fang Wu showed it to Fang Dingman: "See? A whole silver ingot! This is a gift from my son-in-law. Oh my god, what a stroke of luck I have! Old man, pinch me! Am I dreaming?"
Fang Dingman pinched Fang Wu: "Does it hurt?"
Fang Wu said, "It hurts! It's true! It's all better now. Whether the flood comes or not, I don't have to worry about it anymore. Oh, it's really the Bodhisattva's blessing and the heaven's blessing. By the way, have you two eaten yet? If not, I'll make you some food."
Yu Qinglong said, "We haven't eaten yet. Mom, just make something simple for us."
Fang Wu quickly got off the kang to heat up some steamed buns and fry some eggs and vegetables. Fang Dingman followed to help light the fire.
I make extra steamed buns every day. They won't go bad even if they're kept for two days in the cooler weather. And when my son and his wife come home, we can just heat them up and eat them anytime.
Yu Qinglong and Fang Shu went back into the house to wait.
Fang Shu asked, "Do you want to go visit your father-in-law later?"
Yu Qinglong said, "No need. We can divide the money when they arrive tomorrow. But I do have something I want to ask you, my husband."
"Hmm? What's up?"
"My father and his family are registered in Shangxi Village. Can they buy or build a house in Xiaxi Village? Can they change their registered residence here?"
"Of course you can. As long as you don't leave town, changing your household registration isn't that difficult. You just need to go to town and register. It only costs a hundred or so coins to change it."
"That's good. I want my father and his family to settle down in Xiaxi Village permanently."
"What about the land in Shangxi Village?"
"Just plant it. Father and grandpa can take care of the crops when they have free time. If they don't want to, we can hire someone else. Isn't that what we do at home?"
"That makes sense. Then we should find a good place and build a house when the weather warms up. One that's close to our home."
"Okay, it's settled."
The couple imagined what the scene would be like, and the more they thought about it, the happier they felt.
At this time, Fang Wu also heated up the steamed buns and made scrambled eggs with green onions.
Yu Qinglong and Fang Shu each ate two big steamed buns, took a bath, and lay down in bed.
I'm taking a break today. No more writing or studying. Yu Qinglong rested his head on Fang Shu's arm and said, "What should I do, husband? I feel like I'm in a dream too."
Fang Shu said, "That's not easy to do, and I can't bear to pinch you."
Yu Qinglong said, "Then find another way to hurt me."
In the firelight, Yu Qinglong's eyes were as bright as stars, and Fang Shu was stunned for a moment.
He suddenly remembered that day when Yu Qinglong said he wanted to be held and made love with, but his father came and he was distracted.
So he hugged his lover and sat him on top of him, untying his clothes...
The autumn night wind blew furiously, shaking the elm branches so that they seemed about to cry. Only by leaning against the tree trunk could they find a moment of peace.
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Author's words: Fang Shu: Long'er...Long'er...[hug]
Qinglong: …………[Please]
Xuanzi: Today the two babies are too busy to beg for food, so I'll beg for food... Please feed me! I'm holding a soup bowl today, a large one [empty bowl][empty bowl][empty bowl]
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