Then he wrote down the address and invited her, "My bookshop will officially open tomorrow. You are my first customer. If you find anything you like in the future, I will give you a discount."
Du Hui smiled and said, "This is what a straightforward person is like. I'll come again tomorrow to support you."
"Then Xu Jiang will be waiting respectfully."
After seeing Du Hui off, Xu Jiang felt exhausted all over. She stretched her waist, and her bones were crackling from being stretched. Her hands had not been working for a long time, and she felt a little tired. It seemed that one really couldn't be lazy.
She smiled self-deprecatingly, carefully put the painting back into the room, and placed it on a table, leaving it for three to five days to dry thoroughly before putting it on the scroll. She then moved all the necessary tools into the house, but she wasn't in a hurry to put them away, and turned to go into the backyard.
There was still half a pot of yesterday's old Yin tea left. After being left overnight, the taste had not only not diminished but had actually improved. She scooped a large bowlful of it, gulped it down, and felt refreshed all over.
After drinking tea, she took a short rest, then found a piece of rice paper, cut it into a book, wrapped it with a cover, made a simple account book, and recorded today's transactions.
I've been busy these days, so I'll just use it like this for now. In a couple of days, when the new paper, ink, and woodblocks arrive, I'll make a new batch. I can use it myself or sell it.
In the afternoon, Xu San and A'an came to the house and brought a lot of things.
"Boss, this is a little gift from everyone. We wish you a prosperous opening tomorrow." He placed some lucky paper, cold dishes, and cakes on the counter, adding, "And firecrackers. I'll personally order them tomorrow morning to make it lively."
"And here are some freshly picked dogwood seeds." Ah-Ming handed Xu Jiang a handful of bright red dogwood seeds and pointed outside the door, saying, "There are two pots of chrysanthemums in full bloom outside, placed on the flower stand by the door. They look very beautiful."
Xu Jiang walked to the door carrying the dogwood and saw two pots of goldenrod in full bloom. They were very eye-catching and she couldn't help laughing and said, "Everyone is so wasteful."
"There's no need to be polite, boss. We're all family, and visiting during festivals is perfectly normal. Uncle Cao said that this new store can't be deserted after its opening, so he'll be here tomorrow too."
Although she was in a foreign land, the people were still friendly to her. Xu Jiang was deeply moved and said, "Okay, everyone come. I will treat everyone to a Double Ninth Festival."
"Wow, there's wine to drink! I'll definitely come early tomorrow!" Ah-chan's eyes lit up when he heard there was wine to drink, and he almost drooled. Xu San patted his head and couldn't help but scold him with a smile, "Foodie."
After he finished speaking, he saw some utensils that Xu Jiang hadn't put away yet in front of the bookshelf, and asked curiously, "Boss, what are these for?"
"For mounting." Xu Jiang found a pen holder, inserted the dogwood into it, and placed it on the bookshelf to the right of the entrance. She then carefully gathered up the mounting tools and turned around to share with the two of them with a smile, "I sold a painting today."
As he said this, he led a few people to see the paintings.
"Are you making any money?" Xu San couldn't tell if the painting was good or not, and he didn't dare touch it. He just congratulated with surprise and joy, "Congratulations, boss! Congratulations, boss! You're already making money before you even officially open! This is a good sign! From now on, your bookshop will be flooded with customers and your business will be rolling in!"
Ah Qu was full of admiration, "Boss, you're amazing! People say this shop is a dead end, yet you've already given it some life before it even opens!"
Xu Jiang said, "It's all thanks to you, otherwise this bookstore wouldn't have opened so quickly."
The three of them flattered each other and chatted for a while. A-chu and Xu San had other things to do, so they agreed to come back tomorrow and then left. Seeing that it was still early, Xu Jiang simply took the donkey and headed back to the West Market.
There are still many things missing in her shop, so she is very busy.
On the opening day, Xu Jiang got up early. She bathed, burned incense, and changed out of her plain clothes for a green and yellow outfit. She also pinned the dogwood branches her uncle had given her yesterday in her hair, and her whole person immediately looked brighter.
Xu San and others also arrived early and waited behind the door before the time came. As soon as Xu Jiang opened the door, they lit firecrackers. The deafening sound accompanied by the cheers of the crowd conveyed the news of the opening of Zhanchun Bookstore to every household in Yonghefang.
"I wish the boss a great opening!"
"I wish the boss a lot of wealth!"
"I wish our guests will be as numerous as the flowing water, and will never stop flowing!"
"I wish the boss's wealth will rise like the morning sun and his profits will roll in like the spring tide!"
…
"Thank you all for your support." Amidst the auspicious words, Xu Jiang threw out the lucky money wrapped in red strings.
"Let's grab the lucky money!" Ah Qu shouted a few times and rushed to the front, causing cheers and even attracting many passers-by.
"Everyone, our shop is open today. If you want to buy or sell books, paintings, or need the four treasures of the study or print articles, you are all welcome to patronize us!" As she said this, she scattered several handfuls of lucky coins, which attracted everyone to scramble for them.
"Today is Double Ninth Festival. Buy a book and get a Double Ninth Festival cake. Buy a painting and calligraphy and get a chrysanthemum wine. The more you buy, the more gifts you get."
After grabbing the lucky money, everyone would say a few auspicious words. Those who were interested or curious would go into the store to take a look, which made it quite lively.
"Oh, don't tell me, this bookstore is actually well managed. The layout is completely different from before."
"It looks a lot brighter now, not as cloudy as it used to be when I opened a grocery store. Smell it, there's even rosin burning."
"There are quite a few books here, even though we can't read. Otherwise, we should buy a couple and take a look at them."
“I don’t know if it’s expensive or not.”
"How can books be cheap? I heard that Shopkeeper Xu sold a painting on the street yesterday for one or two taels of silver."
"What? So expensive..."
Xu Jiang listened to the guests' discussions, her smile undimmed. She knew these people weren't serious buyers; they were mostly there to see the fun and browse. But even if they were just browsing, it wasn't useless. She still had quite a few of the dogwood branches that Ah Qu had sent her yesterday. If she gave each of them a branch, even if the sale didn't go through, she could still curry favor and use their mouths to spread her name.
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