"Isn't it? Birds of a feather flock together. How about we just get along?"
The two exchanged a smile. Xu Jiang suddenly remembered something and asked the shop owner, "Shop owner, you are in business with the printing press. Can you make any contact with a craftsman who can print?"
"Manager Xu wants to publish a book?"
"This is the collection I'm supplying to the Imperial College. I want to publish a few more editions, but I don't have enough staff in my shop, so I want to find two craftsmen to help."
"I do know a few people. I'll ask around for you. If anyone's interested, they'll come find you."
Xu Jiang was delighted and thanked him quickly, saying, "Then I'll trouble you with this matter."
The owner waved his hand and said, "You're too polite, Manager Xu. It's just a small matter. Besides, if your shop wants to publish a book, the paper will definitely come from my shop. It's a win-win situation, so why not?"
Xu Jiang laughed heartily, "I just like dealing with straightforward people like the owner. Don't worry, the paper is definitely yours and won't run away."
The two chatted and laughed until they reached the Classics Hall. They tied their donkeys under a camphor tree and lined up to go into the hall. When the two donkeys saw that their owners had left, they started to bump heads.
The accountant at the Imperial College was efficient, and within half an hour, it was Xu Jiang's turn. Xu Jiang handed over the deed and received the heavy silver, feeling incredibly relieved.
When Song Xuelu saw that she had finished her work, he called her over, and both of them were smiling.
"Hello, Song Xuelu."
"Congratulations, Shopkeeper Xu, on your success."
"You're welcome. Thank you for your trouble." Xu Jiang handed him the plum blossom cake she had brought. "This is the plum blossom cake I made. It's a little gift from me. I hope the Registrar and the Chief Clerk will not mind it."
The Imperial College did not prohibit the acceptance of gifts such as cakes and snacks, so Song Xuelu did not refuse, "Thank you for your trouble, Manager Xu."
Xu Jiang asked, "Excuse me, I wonder how this volume of 'New Collection of Elementary Learning' is selling?"
"Don't even mention it. As soon as it was put on the shelves, the teachers snatched away half of it, leaving only the other half in the hands of students, who are now asking me for it." Song Xuelu asked, "Does Shopkeeper Xu still want it?"
Xu Jiang nodded. "We'll also publish a second and third edition, but the binding and paper will be slightly inferior to this first edition, and the price will be cheaper."
"Then I will discuss with the teachers and order another hundred or so volumes so that the new students who will be enrolled in the spring of next year will have books to read."
"That's fine. I'll reserve a hundred copies for the Imperial College."
"Can."
The matter was settled, and the paper mill owner had settled his account. The two said goodbye to Song Xuelu and walked briskly out of the library. Once they reached the camphor tree, they saw two men fighting each other, and they rushed over to separate them.
"Oh, I forgot my donkey has a bad temper."
"My stubborn donkey has a bad temper too."
The two men untied the reins, pulled the two donkeys apart, and each slapped his own donkey on the butt. Both donkeys snorted in dissatisfaction and tried to rush over and kick again, but were held back by their owners.
"You stubborn donkey, if you act wild again, I will cut off your hoof and use it to put out the fire." Xu Jiang slapped and scolded the stubborn donkey until he finally subdued him.
The donkey of the inn owner was even more stubborn than Xu Jiang's donkey, and was trying hard to run over to this side. Xu Jiang had no choice but to say goodbye to the inn owner and pull the donkey ahead.
After leaving the Imperial College, Xu Jiang kept complaining all the way. Finally, when she was about to mount the donkey, she crushed the stubborn donkey so hard that it cried out. She touched the place where she had just crushed it and saw a deep circle of teeth marks there.
The donkey in the monastery's house has very good teeth.
Xu Jiang had no choice but to pull the donkey to the West Market to ask Zhao Zhang if there was a veterinarian he knew.
Arriving at the stables, Xu Jiang saw Zhao Zhang selecting horses, so she led the donkey into the shed and had the stable boy cut a bundle of fine hay. The stubborn donkey, relieved of its wound and grumbling, ate with relish, grunting and chowing.
Zhao Zhang finished his business and when he saw her coming, he greeted her, "Madam Xu is here."
His shout made the man he was negotiating a deal with turn around. When he saw the woman standing in front of the stable, he was startled and cried out, "Xu Jiang?"
Xu Jiang looked over when she heard the voice, and the smile immediately froze on her face.
The man took a few steps forward and reached out to grab Xu Jiang's hand. Xu Jiang immediately took a few steps back and stared at him coldly.
"It's really you. You actually came to the capital?"
"Why are you here?"
Zhao Zhang saw the two of them chatting, and noticed Xu Jiang looked a little strange, so he stood beside her and asked the man, "Brother, do you know Madam Xu?"
"More than just knowing her, she's from the same clan as mine." The man looked a little excited, looking at Xu Jiang eagerly, "Since you left, the elders of the clan have sent people everywhere to look for you, but they never expected you to disappear without a trace. It's been eight years, and everyone thought you..."
Xu Jiang continued, "You thought I was dead?"
The man looked a little embarrassed, then looked her up and down several times and sighed, "You have grown up."
Facing Zhao Zhang's puzzled look, Xu Jiang knew that this was not the place to talk, so she asked Zhao Zhang to take care of her donkey and led the man to a tea stall opposite.
There was a lot of noise all around, the shouts of vendors and the conversations of tea drinkers, which filled the ears and made people dizzy.
The man took the tea from the stall owner and took a big gulp.
Xu Jiang stared at him, but felt only silence around him. The man's name was Xu Twelve, and he was a member of the Xu family.
Tea boiled on the stove, spilling into the charcoal fire, stirring up a cloud of dust. A raging fire also ignited in Xu Jiang's eyes. This fire burned her home and buried her master in ashes.
After a brief moment of distraction, Xu Jiang hid the fire in his eyes and asked Xu Twelve, "Why did you come to the capital?"
The joy on Xu Twelve's face gradually faded, and a look of worry took over. "Since you left, our family has been in decline. Within two years of your departure, the elders also passed away one after another, and now only a few young masters remain. But these young masters were untalented. None of them passed the imperial examinations, and they didn't know how to make a living. They indulged in drinking and gambling, squandering all their land and property. In the end, they sold all thirteen of us brothers to pay off our debts and make ends meet."
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