In the first month of summer, heaven and earth begin to interact, and all things bloom.
Taking advantage of the good weather, Xu Jiang moved the work in his hands outside the shop and bound the last few books in the bright sunshine.
After a busy two weeks, all the books she had approved, except for the few she had on hand and the two sets she had given to Liang Mo for engraving, had been printed and bound. There were eight sets in total, each with twenty volumes, and more would be added as they sold out.
Shopkeeper Wang was harnessing his cart in front of the door. Seeing her boiling rice wine under a tree, he called out, "Sister, would you like to come with me to explore the countryside again?"
As soon as the beginning of summer arrives, the crops in the fields change every day, especially the wheat, which is in the grain filling period. He would go to the countryside from time to time to see which farm's wheat is growing well and make an order in advance.
Xu Jiang waved her hand and said, "I haven't finished my work yet. I'll let you go after I finish it."
"Okay." Shopkeeper Wang hooked himself onto the donkey cart and said to her, "There are a lot of local products in the village this season. If I come across any good ones, I'll bring some back for you."
Xu Jiang didn't bother to be polite with him. She just bowed and said, "Then I'll be waiting."
Shopkeeper Wang smiled cheerfully and drove away.
Not long after Shopkeeper Wang left, a familiar errand boy came to the bookstore and said, "Shopkeeper Xu, there's a post for you."
"A letter?" Xu Jiang wiped her hands on her apron, took the letter, and asked, "Where did you send it from?"
The errand boy grinned and said, "Liuyuan."
"Liuyuan?" Xu Jiang had never heard of it.
"Manager Xu doesn't know?" The errand boy was a little surprised, then asked, "Has Liu Sizhen ever heard of it?"
"Who is he?"
"Lord Liu Ciling, he is also known as Liu Sizhen because he holds the position of Sizhen in the Ministry of Revenue."
Someone from the Ministry of Revenue? Xu Jiang felt a little wary.
Seeing her bewilderment, the errand boy introduced her, "The Liu family is a famous and powerful family in Chang'an City. Their ancestors were ministers of the previous dynasty, and they have been officials for generations. They are extremely wealthy. Whenever they hold a banquet, families scramble to get in. This Liu Garden is their garden in Leyou Township in the eastern suburbs. It occupies most of Leyou Township. I've been there a few times. It's like a paradise in the heavens. It's very beautiful."
Xu Jiang suddenly realized, "So that's how it is. Young man is really knowledgeable."
"No, no, I just walk a lot." The errand runner was happier than getting a reward after receiving her praise, and he walked away with his head wagging his tail.
After he left, Xu Jiang fiddled with the note and murmured, "We're strangers, what do you want me to do?"
Then she opened the invitation and immediately understood.
It turned out to be a gathering for the bookworms. She wasn't the only one invited; bookshops, bookstores, bookshops, and printing houses across the capital were also invited. At the end of the invitation, the recipient was instructed to bring along a book.
Bookworm-killing, also known as "exposing books" or "drying books in the sun", means choosing a sunny day to take the books out to dry in the sun to remove bookworms.
This custom has a long history and is very popular among princes, nobles, and literati.
In addition to drying books, the Book-Witting Elegant Party was also an important place for princes, nobles, and literati to socialize and interact with each other. Many scholars would also attend the banquet and pay their respects with poems and essays in order to seek favor.
For bookstores and bookshops, the Book Fair was the perfect opportunity to display and sell their books. Furthermore, many scholars would also display their poetry, calligraphy, and paintings at the fair. If a work stood out, they would snap it up and print it for sale.
Every time the Wushuya Club publishes a collection of poetry and prose, it is widely sought after. If someone can buy it, then his business will undoubtedly be the most prosperous in the next few months.
The bookstore had just published a new book, and Xu Jiang was a new resident of the capital. For the bookstore, this elegant gathering for book purchases was a good opportunity. However, when she thought that the person organizing the gathering was from the Ministry of Revenue, she hesitated again.
To go or not to go?
Xu Jiang was lost in thought when she suddenly smelled something burnt. She snapped back to her senses and looked towards the stove, screaming, "Oh, my paste!"
It’s a paste.
After boiling a pot of paste again, Xu Jiang bound the books while considering the matter of the elegant party for bookworms.
After a while, Lou Yunchun came in from the alley on horseback carrying a basket.
Xu Jiang looked in the direction of the voice, and when he approached, she stood up and took the basket with a smile. The basket was full of fresh vegetables.
They looked like the vegetables they grew in the Nature Pavilion. "Can we eat them?"
"Yeah." If my father hadn't picked the first stalk, I would have eaten it long ago.
Xu Jiang sorted out the vegetables and found a hint of red hidden underneath. She peeled them open and saw that there was a basket full of cherries hidden underneath.
There is a custom of eating "three new things" at the beginning of summer, one of which is cherry, and the other two are different in different places. In Beijing, most people eat green plums and shad.
Xu Jiang picked up a cherry and asked in surprise, "Where did you pick it?" Then an idea flashed in her mind, "Could it be the one in your garden?"
"Um."
"What do you mean, isn't that the one planted for your mother?" I heard that Lou Jing transplanted it from the Taoist temple where Madam Lou originally lived.
"There are still a lot left on the tree." They are just half green and half red.
Lou Yunchun didn't say the second half of the sentence and led the horse to the backyard.
Xu Jiang stared at the cherries in the basket, and finally swallowed her saliva helplessly. She had already picked them, so she might as well eat them.
Xu Jiang went to the market and asked Liang Mo if he wanted to eat. Liang Mo shook his head and said, "Thank you, boss. I don't like sour food."
Is it sour? It looks bright red.
Xu Jiang washed the cherries, put them on a plate, and brought them under the tree to eat with Lou Yunchun. She tasted one and her face immediately wrinkled.
acid!
Seeing her like this, Lou Yunchun also took one to taste, and his eyes immediately narrowed into slits.
"You haven't tasted this cherry?"
"No, they are all left for my mother. My father won't let me touch them."
Then you still pick it?
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