"I really hope he surpasses me." Xu Jiang brought the tea to Wen Hui and then took out a set of arranged orchid manuscripts and gave it to Wen Hui. "Take a look. If you need to change anything, I can re-format it."
Wen Hui took it and looked through it carefully. After a while, she nodded and said, "After all, Shopkeeper Xu is an expert. Every detail of the spacing and layout is appropriate."
Xu Jiang smiled slightly, then raised her tea to him.
After they had a few drinks, Xu Jiang brought up another story. "A few days ago, I saw an aunt I know steaming rice cakes. She used two molds of the same size, carved patterns out of them, painted them in different colors, and then overprinted the patterns onto the cakes. The cakes she made were bright and lovely, so lifelike that they looked just like the real thing."
"Oh?" Wen Hui asked, "That sounds interesting. Which store is it from? I want to buy some too."
Xu Jiang choked on her tea, coughed twice, and smiled, "If you want some cakes, that's easy. I'll make some for you when the time comes. What I mean is, I'd like to use this method to overprint your orchid collection. This way, it can become not only a book but also a painting, presenting the orchid's appearance more vividly to people. What do you think?"
"That's a good idea." Wen Hui was delighted at first, but then worriedly said, "But it doesn't sound like an easy task."
Printing over three hundred varieties of orchids in multiple colors takes months, not only to cut the plates but also to print them. Furthermore, if you're not careful, the order can easily become disordered, uneven, or even with missing colors. The sheer amount of energy and time expended in this process is unfathomable.
"Although it's not an easy task, it's a good thing. If this method works, then in the future, not only orchid books, but also other painting books, picture books, and even annotations to famous classics and scriptures can all be printed using this method, and the resulting books will be even more exquisite and accurate."
Xu Jiang continued, "This way, we can not only open up a new path, but also sell the book for a good price. Isn't that killing two birds with one stone?"
Wen Hui sighed, "You deserve this job." Then she nodded and agreed, "As long as Shopkeeper Xu doesn't mind the trouble, I'll do as you say. I'm the one who gets the better deal anyway. When the book is published, don't complain to me about the loss."
"It's not a loss." Xu Jiang said with a smile: "As long as this set of orchid books is on the shelves, I'm afraid the door of my bookstore will be broken down by people."
"That's also your ability." Wen Hui couldn't help but look forward to it. "I wonder what this orchid book will look like when it's released."
"Using silver-flowered five-color paper to combine Lan Fang's preface, Hu Xu's ink and color, and Youshan's colors, the resulting book is sure to be a rare masterpiece." Xu Jiang was eager to try it out. "Just wait and see, sir. I'm sure you won't be disappointed."
Wen Hui became more and more anxious as she talked, but now he had just started to work on the book, and he didn't know how long it would take to finish it. But he couldn't rush her, so he had to keep drinking tea and suppress his urging.
"After the book is finished, I will hold an orchid appreciation party in the orchid garden. You, Liang Mo and Zhu Chun will be the guests of honor."
"Okay." Xu Jiang didn't forget to take credit for Song Qiao and Hu Xu. "Don't forget about Zhu Chun and Lady Song. Without them, this book wouldn't be possible."
"Of course." Wen Hui then drank from Xu Jiang again. Afterward, she found the tea delicious and asked Xu Jiang, "I like this tea. I wonder if Shopkeeper Xu has any extra tea? Could you spare a few ounces?"
"Yes." Xu Jiang asked Liang Mo to pack half a pound of tea for Wen Hui, and then said to Wen Hui, "If you like this tea, I will go back to Chongzhou after the New Year and bring you some back."
"What should I do?"
"I'll be back to visit my family by then, so it'll be a convenient thing to do..."
When all the tea was gone, Wen Hui happily left with the new tea in her pocket.
Xu Jiang went back to the shop to clean up, but saw a few taels of silver lying on the cushion where Wen Hui was sitting. She took the silver and chased after her, but there was no sign of Wen Hui.
She smiled and sighed, then put the silver into the money box, and then shouted to the five thousand coins: "Liang Mo, we will be busy in the future."
Liang Mo rolled up his sleeves silently.
————Dividing Line————
After Wen Hui came out of the bookstore, he remembered that Song Qiao lived in the next block, so he wanted to go and visit him.
Both the father and daughter of the Song family were experts in finding and planting orchids. They also sold orchids to various prefectures in the capital, so they must have many rare orchids at home.
Having made up his mind, he told the coachman to go to Song Qiao's house when the carriage came to pick him up.
Song Qiao went to the mountains today to deliver clothes to his father and persuade him to return to the city.
Since the Frost Descent, the weather has been getting colder and colder. She always tried to persuade Song's father to go into the mountains, but it was as if his feet had grown roots under him, rooted in the deep mountains and old forests. No matter how she persuaded him, he would not return to the city.
He said he was afraid that after he left, no one would take care of his orchids.
But the time was getting later and later, and in two months the mountain would be closed due to heavy snow. By then he would not be able to get out even if he wanted to.
Now that she has received the job at Lanyuan, she can't stay with him in the mountains. If he doesn't go back, the father and daughter might not be able to celebrate the New Year.
Song Qiao was thinking about how to persuade his father, and before he knew it, he had arrived at his father's residence in the mountains.
A small fenced courtyard.
Suddenly, she smelled the fragrance of rice, and then heard a burst of hearty laughter.
She walked to the gate and saw her father eating with a woman at the table under the eaves.
The two of them were eating so happily that they didn't notice someone coming to the door.
The woman kept picking up food for Song's father and nagging him to eat more.
Song's father tried to stop her several times, but he couldn't resist her eagerness, so he let her entertain him, treating him as the guest and her as the host.
"Dad?" Song Qiao called out softly, but his voice hit the table like a hammer, startling both of them.
Father Song first choked on his food, and after being punched twice on the back by the woman, he started coughing. Seeing this, Song Qiao quickly went to the stove and poured him a bowl of water.
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