Only after Liang Mo peeled off the last piece of printed paper did he come out of his emptiness and tranquility, with a faint smile on his face.
That is a kind of contentment.
Xu Jiang walked over and inspected each sheet one by one. There was no ink bleeding, no crookedness, and no confusion. The handwriting on each sheet was the right depth and the ink was evenly distributed. It was truly excellent.
Seeing the admiring look on her face, Wu Qingchuang asked with a smile, "Manager Xu, what do you think?"
"Good, very good." Xu Jiang looked at Liang Mo with a smile, "The craftsmanship is secondary. It's rare for someone of this age to have such a state of mind. He has a bright future."
Be focused and calm, neither arrogant nor impatient.
Liang Mo felt a little embarrassed by the praise and said uncomfortably, "Thank you for the compliment, Master." Then he carefully traced the engraving on the paper and asked, "Did you carve this engraving?"
Xu Jiang raised his eyebrows slightly, "Did Shopkeeper Wu tell you?"
"I never said that." Shopkeeper Wu waved his hand quickly. "A promise is worth a thousand gold. I promised to keep it secret. Of course, anyone would reveal it."
Liang Mo pointed to a corner of the printed plate and said, "There's a signature here. I guessed it."
Xu Jiang was more and more satisfied with his good eyesight and intelligence, so she asked, "Do you have any salary requirements?"
Liang Mo glanced at Wu Qingchuang, who nodded at him, encouraging him to speak boldly.
"Master said that the monthly salary cannot be less than 5,000 coins."
Five thousand coins is not a low price. If he only hires assistants such as bookkeepers and editors, no one in the capital can afford it. But he can take charge of printing, so this price is appropriate.
Xu Jiang thought about it and was about to agree, but then she heard Liang Mo say, "If the boss thinks the price is too high, I can reduce the charge by one thousand coins."
Hearing this, Wu Qingchuang and Xu Jiang looked at him in surprise.
Wu Qingchuang glanced at Xu Jiang and advised Liang Mo, "Although I was the one who recommended you here, your master has said that the price must not be less than five thousand coins. You don't have to lower the price just for my sake and end up losing money."
Moreover, although Master Liang Mo was usually strict with him, he was very protective of him. If he knew that he had lost his wages for nothing, he would probably give him a cold shoulder.
Then he smiled at Xu Jiang and said, "Although I am interested in making friends with Shopkeeper Xu, it is out of a gentleman's duty, not as a favor to you. You should consider this carefully."
Liang Mo shook his head, "I'm not lowering the price just for Shopkeeper Wu's sake."
Xu Jiang chuckled.
Wu Qingchuang looked embarrassed. He had said so much, but this kid was trying to sabotage him right in front of him.
"Then tell me what you think?"
Liang Mo touched the engraving on Xu Jiang's chopping board, then said to her, "I'm short of a thousand coins as a stipend. Please teach me how to engrave."
Wu Qingchuang smiled again. He actually had an idea. Finding a cheap master for a thousand coins seemed like a good deal no matter how you looked at it. He just didn't know whether Xu Jiang would agree.
Unexpectedly, Xu Jiang said, "Even if it doesn't cost you a thousand coins, I can teach you how to carve. And not only carving, I can also teach you how to annotate, repair, and mount."
She was not a serious craftsman and did not like to keep her secrets. If she could teach Lin Hongzhu, she could naturally teach Liang Mo as well. Moreover, Liang Mo worked as a helper in her shop, so teaching him would save her trouble.
However, she was not teaching these things for nothing. She then added, "I can offer you a lot of money and I can teach you the basics, but there is one condition. If you agree, we can sign the contract after the three-day trial period."
Liang Mo asked: "What are the conditions?"
Xu Jiang replied, "Once the contract is signed, you must stay in the shop for three years. After three years, you can leave or stay at your own will."
She could foresee that the bookstore would become increasingly busy in the future. If there were frequent shortages or replacements, neither she nor the bookstore could afford it.
Three years is neither long nor short.
Liang Mo thought that once the contract was signed, he would not be able to take on other jobs or build other connections like his master for three years, nor would he be as free as his master. But then he thought again, he was still young and would only be twenty years old in three years. It was too early to seek connections and freedom. It would be better to settle down and hone his skills so that he could soar to the sky in the future.
Besides, he also had to learn engraving from Xu Jiang. Xu Jiang's carving skills would take him five years, let alone three years, not to mention that she could teach him other skills. So these three years were worth it for him.
Seeing that he was still pondering, Wu Qingchuang couldn't help but slap him on the back of the head, "Silly boy, what are you still hesitating about? If you miss this opportunity, you will never get it again!"
If he were younger and met Xu Jiang, he would be willing to spend five years, let alone three years.
Xu Jiang smiled and said, "Don't worry. This is a matter concerning your future, so you need to think it over carefully. If you can't make up your mind, you can go back and discuss it with your master. It won't be too late to give me your answer tomorrow."
"I agree." Liang Mo nodded hurriedly. Wu Qingchuang was right. If you miss this opportunity, you will never get it again. I'm sure the master will agree.
"Then come over tomorrow. If there are no objections in three days, I will sign the contract."
"good."
Now that the matter was settled, the three of them felt much more relieved. Liang Mo put away the printing equipment and washed up before saying goodbye to Wu Qingchuang and leaving.
Xu Jiang stood in front of the door and stretched, then looked up and found that the big tree in front of the door had sprouted tender green buds at some point.
"Spring is coming." A sigh sounded in Xu Jiang's ears, startling her. Turning around, she saw Shopkeeper Wang also standing with his hands behind his back, staring at the treetops.
"Brother, why are you always so elusive?"
"Those two guys didn't look like buyers. What were they doing?"
"It's the printing master who came to see me."
"The younger one?"
"Brother, you have good eyesight."
Shopkeeper Wang said worriedly, "Being young is good, as it gives you energy and allows you to endure hardships, but I'm afraid you might become restless and unstable."
Xu Jiang's shop had plenty of work, but business was slow. She was too young to handle it, and I didn't know if she had the patience. Zhu Chun and Hong Chu were both good people, but one was too talented to stay, and the other had a sick mother at home, which was a pity.
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