The shop owner smiled and replied, "The paper used by Lord Lou is also supplied by our shop." Then he asked, "Is Shopkeeper Xu also familiar with Lord Lou?"
Xu Jiang glanced at Lou Yunchun and thought to herself, "That's too familiar." But she changed the subject, "Hey, Master, stop interrupting me. Show me the paper."
"Oh, that's it." The shop owner asked casually. Seeing that the two did not answer, he did not care and just took Xu Jiang over to look at the paper.
When the paper was unfolded, it revealed a crimson hue, a riot of red. As it was turned, a faint scent of plum blossoms wafted through it. Xu Jiang touched the paper, leaning in for a closer look. She discovered plum petals had been mixed into the paper pulp.
"What a good thought! It's so pure and elegant."
"My daughter was naughty and shook some petals into the pulping pool. I decided to make some for her to play with, but I didn't expect it to turn into this plum blossom paper."
"As the saying goes, an unexpected planting of willows can lead to a forest of willows." Xu Jiang couldn't put the plum blossom paper down.
"Inspired by this, I want to make some more floral paper, which is seasonal, varied and appropriate to the times."
"That's a good idea. Even the pickiest person will find something they like." Xu Jiang touched the plum blossom paper again and said, "I want all of this paper."
I was just worrying about what to give Yuan Yanyan as a return gift, and this plum blossom paper was perfect. I gave half to her and kept the other half for myself.
Moreover, there are many poetry collections and poems in her own bookstore that need to be copied. Now she cannot print them, so she can only copy some and put them on the shelves for sale.
Handwritten collections did not require official approval for publication. However, handcopying was time-consuming and laborious, and the number of collections that could be published was limited. It was far less convenient than woodblock printing, nor was it as precise, making it difficult to definitively assess its quality.
The most important thing is that the price is higher than that of woodblock printing. And only if the characters are good and there are few mistakes can they sell for a good price. If the characters are poor and there are many mistakes, even the cost of paper and ink cannot be earned back.
Nowadays, woodblock printing is prevalent. Although there are still many handwritten collections, they can no longer compete with woodblock printing. Furthermore, buyers are generally divided into two categories: one is the aristocratic class, who prefers works by famous artists for their collections. The other is the poor student who only cares about the price. As long as the price is cheap, they don't care about the paper or the handwriting, as long as they can understand it.
If the manuscripts she produced were neither good nor bad, they would just sit there and gather dust. This method was a thankless task, so her business gradually dwindled. But now that her publishing business had been strangled, this was the only way to fill the gap in her shop.
Now that she has this plum blossom paper, she can take advantage of it and produce a set of plum blossom poetry paper, which can be sold to scholars and literati who like elegant style, as well as ladies in the boudoir. Most importantly, it can free her from being constrained by Jisheng Bookstore.
In fact, even Jiang Gu's remaining poems can be made into paper. This way, we can avoid involving the Imperial College and let Jiang Gu's remaining poems spread, thus fulfilling his wish.
"Twenty dollars, do you want all of them?"
"Both."
Having made up her mind, Xu Jiang was filled with joy. Although Lou Yunchun didn't know why she was so happy, he couldn't help but curl up the corners of his mouth.
"Twenty knives, one hundred pieces per knife, five hundred coins per knife, a total of ten thousand coins." That is ten taels of silver.
This price might be too expensive for ordinary people, but in the tomb book business, it is considered a huge deal, and it is a new feature, so Xu Jiang got a great bargain.
She felt rather embarrassed, "How can I take advantage of the abbot?"
The shop owner said, "We're long-time customers, so a small discount isn't a big deal. And while this paper is new, it's not complicated to make. And the ink smudges a bit once it's finished. Shopkeeper Xu, take it back and use it first. If you find anything you think needs improvement, don't hesitate to tell me. I'll consider it a discount in return."
It is a pleasure to deal with straightforward people, so Xu Jiang agreed without hesitation.
"Should I deliver the paper to you tomorrow, or can you pick it up yourself?"
"We've got a cart today. It's just outside the market town. Just pack it up and load it onto the cart."
"Okay." The owner called an apprentice to help pack.
Xu Jiang and Lou Yunchun were also busy carrying the wrapped paper out. The monk then realized the unusual relationship between the two and couldn't help laughing.
After all the papers were loaded onto the truck, Xu Jiang paid for them and the owner of the shop personally delivered them to the door.
"Madam Xu, has Manager Wu bothered you again?"
"Yes, I do, but it doesn't bother me in any way. Please don't worry, I won't suffer any loss."
The two walked outside and saw Lou Yunchun untying his donkey. The monastery owner stared at him and replied to Xu Jiang, "That's right. Lord Lou is so famous and prestigious. I don't think anyone would dare to offend him."
Just as Xu Jiang was about to respond, a sarcastic voice came from the side.
"Hey, isn't this Shopkeeper Xu?"
Xu Jiang and the abbot looked at each other in silence.
What a bad mouth! The owner smacked his lips, turned around and forced a smile, "Master Wu, I'm honored to be here. But would you like to buy some paper?"
Manager Wu glanced at him and said, "Nonsense! You come to the paper mill but don't buy paper. Are you here to seek bad luck?"
The words "looking for bad luck" slipped out from between his teeth, as if carrying a foul smell. Xu Jiang did not want to pay attention to it, so she bowed to the owner of the shop and was about to leave.
But that steward Wu, having forgotten the pain after his wound healed, insisted on provoking him. "Shopkeeper Xu, I wonder if your shop is doing well these days?"
The abbot looked at Lou Yunchun who looked up at him and thought to himself: Go ahead and try to kill yourself, this time even the Lord can't save you.
Xu Jiang pretended not to hear and walked towards Lou Yunchun.
But Manager Wu stepped forward and blocked her way.
"I heard your bookstore published a collection under the name of the Imperial College. I also read it and thought it was some kind of exclusive publication, but it turned out to be just ordinary elementary school poems and the poems of that poor scholar Hu Xu. You're so shameless to treasure what our bookstore discards. If it weren't for Du Hui, this collection of poems wouldn't even be worthy of being used as a table base for our boss."
They really knew that I was publishing a collection of works, so they asked Feng Miao to find out.
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