When both of them finished their work, the soup in the kitchen began to smell fragrant. Xu Jiang stood up to take a look and saw that it was still a little short of the right temperature, so she let it continue to simmer.
"Shopkeeper Xu, I'm here to deliver the paper." A voice came from outside. Xu Jiang went out and took a look. It was the owner of the paper mill.
"Why did you come here in person to escort the goods?"
The owner not only sent paper, but also a gift, "I came here specially to thank the shopkeeper Xu for his help."
Xu Jiang quickly declined, "It's just a small favor, why are you being so polite, Master?"
"This is not a valuable thing. If not a thank you gift, then consider it as a festival gift." Seeing that Xu Jiang refused to accept it, the shop owner stuffed the thing into the hands of Liang Mo who came to unload the goods.
Xu Jiang couldn't stop him and had to give up.
The master of the shop looked at Liang Mo and asked, "Is this the seal engraver hired by Shopkeeper Xu? He looks quite young."
Liang Mo heard it with his sharp ears, and turned around and said, "He may be young, but his skills are not young."
The abbot smiled and said, "Oh, you have quite a lot of ambition."
Xu Jiang also laughed: "He does have some real skills. And he's young, so he's eager to learn, strong and capable of handling the work."
"If Manager Xu says so, then it must be true." Seeing Liang Mo unload a bucket of paper in just a few trips, the shop owner couldn't help but nod, feeling quite strong.
Printing requires both skill and labor. After a job, those with poor labor skills can lose half their lives.
"Master, what's going on at the Jisheng Book Bureau? Are they regretting their loss?"
"No, I sent someone to deliver the floral paper they requested today."
"Does the monk know what they need all this paper for?"
"I'm not sure." The monk shook his head. "You were here yesterday, so what I know is what you know."
"Then I'd like to trouble you to keep an eye on it for me and let me know if you have any news."
"Why is Madam Xu asking about this?"
Xu Jiang was silent for a moment, then went back to the shop, took out a set of paper and handed it to the owner.
The monk took it and flipped through it, his face suddenly filled with surprise. "This is my plum blossom paper." He then read the poem on it and praised it, "What a clever idea."
He turned the page over and over, "The binding is beautiful, too, it's worthy of this paper." As he flipped through the pages, his smile gradually faded. "Manager Xu is saying that they bought out all the flower-themed paper in order to copy it?"
Xu Jiang explained the situation to him, "Yesterday, Zhou Huai was refusing to give up four hundred coins, but upon seeing me, he signed the contract without a second thought. And judging by his behavior, if the monastery owner hadn't stopped him, he would have given seven hundred coins without hesitation. Such inconsistent behavior is bound to arouse suspicion."
The owner of the shop was worried, "If that's the case, then it will be hard to sell your paper in the future."
Jisheng Bookstore had already bought out the flower-themed paper. If they really wanted to make it into a paper-based album, Xu Jiang couldn't stop them. The government didn't care about counterfeiting, and that was just how business was. Once you became popular, many people would imitate you. If one didn't, another would come along.
Let alone the paper pattern, even his flowery paper, just wait and see, once it gets out, someone will definitely follow suit within half a month.
This was also the reason why he agreed to let Jisheng Bookstore buy out the business. It would not only avoid offending anyone, but also allow him to see that Jisheng Bookstore was unable to succeed and his good deeds would be in vain. Moreover, once this grass flower paper became popular, it would not be a bad thing for their paper business.
Xu Jiang sighed, "Whether it sells well or not is another matter, but this paper has not been widely circulated yet. If someone imitates it and claims it is original, it will be like swallowing a mosquito or a fly, which is unavoidable and disgusting."
"There are many more disgusting things in business than this." The owner also showed helplessness and advised: "Even if they really do publish the paper, there is no need for Shopkeeper Xu to compete with them. After all, there is a huge gap in financial resources and power. In the end, we will be the ones who suffer the loss."
"Thank you for your kind words, Master. I will consider it carefully." What the Master said made sense, but she had to get to the bottom of the matter no matter what.
If what she said came true and Jisheng Bookstore really wanted to make the paper album, then she would have the upper hand. Even if she couldn't stop it, she could secretly vent her anger on them.
After the goods were unloaded and the gifts were delivered, the abbot took his leave.
Xu Jiang returned to the bookstore and sorted the papers with Liang Mo.
At this time, the clouds and rain had just stopped and the sky was bright. Liang Mo couldn't wait to set up the table and plan, ready to show his skills.
Xu Jiang was responsible for cutting paper and mixing ink.
Liang Moxi worked alone, and the chopping board was his territory, no one else was allowed to touch it. Xu Jiang watched for a while, and when she saw that he really didn't need any help, she returned to her own work.
In addition to the county annals, she also had several boxes of books from Xu Yuan that had not been sorted out. Now that Liang Mo was in charge of printing, she could focus on revising and copying them.
The two of them were minding their own business, and before they knew it, the sun had already moved to the west.
Xu Jiang finished her work and went to the yard to check on Liang Mo, who was also finishing his work.
She didn't disturb him and went to the kitchen to check on the soup.
The charcoal fire in the stove has gone out, but it is still warm. The water at the bottom of the pot is just right and it only needs a little more fire to dry it up.
Xu Jiang opened the wooden steamer, and a sweet aroma wafted out, making her spleen and stomach tingle. But that wasn't the fragrance yet. When she opened the pottery jar, she was so angry that even the gods in her stomach would jump for joy.
She took two bowls, carried out a ceramic jar, licked her lips, and carefully opened the lid. The fragrance immediately hit her face, making her lose her sense of direction.
Xu Jiang took two deep breaths, brushed away the steam, and looked at the scene in the jar.
The soup in the jar was as red as spring water, and the oil was like dew. The duck lay quietly at the bottom of the jar, without a single scratch on its skin. Xu Jiang took a pair of chopsticks and gently poked the duck through.
The heat is just right.
She removed the duck legs and wings and put them into two bowls, then poured two spoonfuls of soup into each bowl, covered the lid again, brought the soup into the bookstore, and invited Liang Mo to drink it.
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