Neither of them was in a hurry, basking in the sun and leisurely finishing their pots of tea. Du Hui spotted Xu Jiang's work and, itching to try his hand, took it over himself. Xu Jiang assisted, listening to him tinker and comment on his annotations, completely captivated.
When Du Hui's mouth was dry and his shoulders and back were sore from talking, Xu Jiang finally came to her senses and took over the work.
Looking at this set of poetry, Du Hui felt itchy again and said, "I think this collection is interesting. Why don't you give it to me? I don't want you to edit it. I can take it back and edit it myself. How about that?"
Xu Jiang smiled warmly. "If you like the annotations in this collection, I'll hand-copy a copy for you once I've finished revising it. If you just want something to amuse yourself in your spare time, here are a bunch of books waiting to be revised. You can choose whatever you want, free of charge."
Du Hui sighed, "He's saying things that contradict each other, yet he's so impenetrable that no one can find fault with him. He knows how to manipulate people's minds and how to manipulate their preferences. It's a waste of talent for Shopkeeper Xu to stay in this small bookshop. If he were a man, he should be in the officialdom."
"Sir, how can I possibly deserve your praise?"
Du Hui stared at her work. Seeing her steady and precise movements, he couldn't help but think of his own painting and asked, "Is my painting good?"
"Okay, I was just about to send it to your house, and since you happened to be here, I can take it back with me today."
Having said that, Xu Jiang stood up to look for the painting, and at the same time took out the set of "Ziyun's Four Fu" as well.
Du Hui first carefully examined the set of "Ziyun's Four Fu" and held it in front of him like a treasure. Only then did he ask Xu Jiang to unfold the painting for inspection.
As the scroll was opened, a faint fragrance of plum blossoms wafted away.
"Has it been repaired again?" It looks more obedient than last time.
"The tide turned against me midway, so I had to make up for it."
Du Hui nodded and checked the wooden shaft again. It was simple and elegant, and the fit was perfect. "Not bad."
He put the painting away and then remembered that his old friend had asked him to find a reliable framer to frame a few of his paintings and calligraphy. He asked, "I wonder if Shopkeeper Xu would take on this mounting work as a side job?"
"Take it." As long as she knows how to do it and can make money, why wouldn't she take it? Then she asked, "Is it for the master's own, or for someone else?"
"Of course it's something else. If it were mine, I wouldn't need you."
"I've never seen your cooking skills, sir. I'd love to see you someday."
"There will be plenty of opportunities in the future." He added, "Once I've discussed this with him, I'll send someone to let you know. You should prepare all the necessary tools and wait for the news. My old friend is generous. If your craftsmanship is good, he'll give you a lot of money."
Xu Jiang stood up, bowed to him, and said with a smile, "Thank you very much, sir."
The two sat for a while, and Du Hui saw that it was getting late, so he wanted to go home.
Xu Jiang packed the collection and paintings, wrote a contract, and sold the collection to him for two hundred taels of silver.
"You don't feel bad about giving me this price, but I do." Du Hui frowned as he looked at the deed.
Xu Jiang made a gesture to take it back, "Sir, if you despise me because the price is low, I won't sell it to you."
Upon hearing this, Du Hui put the deed in his pocket and quickly gave her the money, fearing that she would go back on her word.
What was given was Jiaozi, a paper note circulated in the capital. It could be exchanged for silver and money at designated shops with a secret code or designated seal, but three hundred coins would be deducted for every hundred taels of silver.
The amount Du Hui gave was exactly two hundred taels, and after giving it to him, he threw down another twenty taels in cash, saying it was for tea.
Which tea is so expensive?
Xu Jiang did not bother with him. She took the money, gave him the collection, and sent him to the street corner before returning to the shop to collect the books.
After packing up, she saw there were still two hours before the market closed, so she pulled her donkey towards the West Market. Although she had bought some mounting supplies at the shop, it was not complete, so she had to buy some more when she had time to make up for it, so as not to waste time on the work due to the lack of something in the shop.
The West Market was as bustling as ever. She followed the list silently and soon had everything she needed.
Thinking that since he was already there and it wasn't too late, he tied the donkey in Zhao Zhang's stable and continued to wander around empty-handed.
As winter is approaching, there are many more mountain products in the market, such as dried mushrooms, dried bamboo shoots, wild fruits, animal meat, animal skins...it is dazzling.
Xu Jiang was itching to make something. She hadn't cooked a proper meal since she bought the stove in her shop. When she was hungry, she'd always made noodle soup or porridge. Today, however, she had some free time, and with so many good things on hand, she thought she might as well buy some to eat and eat, to help with some weight gain.
Having made up her mind, she put together a menu in her mind and listed several items based on the mountain products that were all over the market. She was a little troubled for a moment.
Which one should I cook? What should I eat?
"Matsutake mushrooms, fresh pine mushrooms, selling pine mushrooms..."
A hawking sound startled her back to her senses. She looked in the direction of the sound and saw an old woman squatting in front of a food stall not far away, guarding a basket of pine mushrooms and staring at the passers-by with a sad face.
She walked over and saw the fresh pine mushrooms in the basket. An idea came to her mind, so she asked, "Auntie, how much are you selling these pine mushrooms for?"
The old woman smiled brightly and said politely, "A handful is ten coins. If you buy more, I can give you some as a gift."
Ten cents was a bargain, but she didn't know how much this bunch was worth. She calculated it secretly and asked, "Aunt, if I want all the pine mushrooms in this basket, what's your price?"
"You want them all?" The old woman shook the mushrooms in her basket and said through gritted teeth, "You came late today, and these mushrooms won't go bad if you don't sell them all. If you want them all, I'll charge you seventy cents. Do you think that's a good deal?"
How could it be inappropriate? Xu Jiang immediately took out the money and said, "I'll give you an extra ten coins, plus the basket, for a total of eighty. Count them quickly."
"I made this basket myself. It's not worth much. I'll give it to you." The old woman counted out ten coins and returned them to her, but Xu Jiang refused to take them. "The basket isn't worth much, but the craftsmanship is. I think it's beautiful and I'm happy to give it to you. You can keep it with peace of mind."
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