"Don't worry, brother. I think he's a steady guy. I've already agreed with him that once we sign the contract, he'll have to help the bookstore for at least three years, and he's agreed."
"That's very thoughtful." Hearing that the contract was for three years, Shopkeeper Wang felt relieved and asked curiously, "How much are you offering him per month?"
"Five thousand."
"How many?"
"Five thousand coins."
"Five thousand!" Shopkeeper Wang's eyes nearly popped out of his head, and he shouted, "I'd rather close my rice shop and have you work as my helper!"
Xu Jiang laughed out loud upon hearing this, and then carefully calculated with him, "This price is not expensive. Publishing books, running the shop, and taking care of all the miscellaneous things in the shop, one person can do the work of several people. It's worth the price."
"That's true." Shopkeeper Wang thought about how Xu Jiang's engraving and printing work was indeed not an easy task. Although five thousand was a high price, he couldn't do it if he was really paid that much.
Every profession has its own specialization. The craftsmanship in the tomb book business is all delicate work. It depends on the hands' skills. It takes years to practice, so the high price is justified.
"It's not easy." Shopkeeper Wang sighed again: "I hope this person can be kept."
Xu Jiang thought of Liang Mo's clear eyes and thought: Although he is young, he is a wise man. He knows what he wants and what he worries about. What kept him from her bookshop was not money, but his desire to learn.
She smiled and said, "I think so."
The next day, Xu Jiang opened the door and saw Liang Mo waiting outside. She was startled and asked, "What time did you arrive?"
"At noon."
Xu Jiang saw that his face was a little blue from the cold, so she hurriedly let him in. "It's all my fault for being so careless that I forgot to tell you the working hours. Our bookstore opens at 9:00 PM, so you can come to work before 9:00 PM from now on."
Liang Mo nodded.
Seeing that he was frozen numb, Xu Jiang quickly made him a bowl of kudzu powder to warm him up. After he recovered, Xu Jiang took him to familiarize himself with the affairs of the shop.
After a day of spending time together, Xu Jiang had a good understanding of Liang Mo's background. His strengths were his skill in craftsmanship, his diligence, his calmness, his concentration, and his quick mind. His weaknesses were his lack of knowledge of poetry and calligraphy, and his inability to paint, which made him of no use in revising or repairing.
But there is still a long time to go, so I can teach you slowly.
Before proofing, the two of them put the books in the store back in order. Today, many students came to ask about "New Collection of Elementary Education", and Xu Jiang planned to start printing after officially signing the contract with Liang Mo.
"How do you feel about your first day on the job?"
Liang Mo found the serial numbers and put the books in their respective categories back in their original places. Then he clapped his hands and said, "It's not bad. Although things are complicated, I can learn a lot."
For example, understanding the categories of books, how to sort and number them, learning to identify the year of calligraphy and paintings, the pigments used, and reading Xu Jiang's annotations on ancient books and mounting calligraphy and paintings.
Only then did he realize that his boss, although a woman, was well-informed, experienced, and far superior to many men, and should not be looked down upon.
At the same time, he felt ashamed. Although his printing skills were decent, he was far inferior in other skills.
He had to get started as soon as possible, otherwise he would feel guilty about taking the 5,000 yuan monthly salary.
"When will the boss teach me?"
"Don't be anxious, there's still a lot of time. Take it one step at a time, learn one thing at a time."
"How many years has the boss been studying?"
Xu Jiang calculated, "Piecing it all together, it's barely eighteen years."
Eighteen years? Liang Mo was secretly surprised.
It has been seven years since he became a disciple at the age of ten. Recently, he often feels that although he is still lacking in some aspects compared to his master, he has also achieved some success. But now he realizes that there are always people better than you.
Compared to Xu Jiang, he hadn't studied long enough, didn't possess as many skills, and certainly wasn't as refined. If Xu Jiang were a mountain or an ocean, he was merely a hillock or a stream. Yet, he dared to be so complacent and smug, truly ignorant of the immensity of heaven and earth.
No wonder when his master sent him out this morning, he told him to be humble and learn from others, and not to look down on this job, otherwise he would not only lose face for himself, but also for his master.
He said seriously: "Boss, don't worry, I will definitely study hard."
Xu Jiang was full of confusion. What kind of wish did this child make suddenly?
Xu Jiang often admired the talents of Lu Zhen, Hu Xu and others, but never thought that she was also a hero in the eyes of others.
As a child, Xu Yuan often told her she was a fool, that her talent was compromised and could only be supplemented through human effort, so he tirelessly taught her, urged her, and disciplined her. As the saying goes, "No pain, no gain." The skills she now possessed were the result of daily practice, progressing from inexperienced to masterful.
For this, she received many scoldings, shed many tears, and had many blisters popped, and finally developed calluses, scars, and a pair of strong hands.
After Xu Yuan passed away, the world took over, using wind, frost, snow, rain, the warmth and coldness of human feelings, the vastness of the sky and the earth, and the infinite universe to carve a hard scar on her from a young girl who knew nothing of the world. It made her finally, after a long journey of three thousand miles, finally settle down under the locust and willow trees.
Isn’t this persistence and perseverance a talent?
"Where do you live?"
"Lanlingfang."
"How did you get here?"
"walk."
Walking? Lanlingfang and Yonghefang are five blocks apart, and he actually walked here? Xu Jiang glanced at the sky and said to him, "Then you should hurry back. If you delay any longer, the block will be closed."
"Don't be afraid, I can run back." After saying that, Liang Mo packed up his things, said goodbye to Xu Jiang, and ran away in a hurry.
Xu Jiang watched his tall figure like a bamboo shoot disappear on the street, feeling both nostalgic and envious.
She thought she had experienced such times before, but her youthful spirit flowed like a stream, lost among the mountains and rivers of yesterday. Now she was an adult, she had shed her recklessness and became more cautious, considering her actions carefully. Although she was stable, she had lost some of her silliness.
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