The words were serious, but the person speaking did not have a serious expression.
Shen Youying blushed at his teasing and glared at him with a mixture of shyness and anger.
Seeing that things had gone well, Xue Shen stopped teasing and instead asked, "What are Zhao Zhao's plans for the future?"
Shen Youying originally intended to introduce Zhao Meier to Xie Qinglan because the Zhao family wanted to do business in the capital, but now that she knows Zhao Meier is an imposter, she naturally no longer has this plan.
However, the true owner of the story, Chen Yaoniang, seems to have a family to support, so she might not go to the capital.
She pondered for a moment and said, "I want to see Chen Yaoniang tomorrow."
Chen Yaoniang had a very hard life, yet this seemingly frail woman possessed an indomitable spirit that refused to give up. Anyone who saw her couldn't help but want to help her.
Shen Youying was willing to hand her a rope, but whether or not to grab it was up to Chen Yaoniang herself.
*
The next day, after lunch, Shen Youying had her guards find out where Chen Yaoniang lived before she and Xue Shen went there together.
Chen Yaoniang was decocting medicine at her doorstep. She squatted in front of the small stove, carefully fanning it while also taking the time to embroider a few stitches on the purse in her hand.
Hearing the commotion outside the courtyard, she turned around and saw Shen Youying and the other person. She first smiled subconsciously, but then she realized that the two were her creditors. Creditors coming to the door was not necessarily a good thing, so the smile faded and worry crept onto her brow.
She still opened the door very politely and hurriedly welcomed them into the main room. She then brought out two bowls of tea and placed them in front of the two of them, bowing slightly as she said, "We don't have good tea sets at home to entertain distinguished guests. These bowls are newly bought and haven't been used yet. The tea leaves are roasted by myself and are very clean."
She had assumed the two of them wouldn't move, but to her surprise, Shen Youying picked up the ceramic bowl and took a sip, then looked surprised: "You know about tea?"
This dynasty revered tea, and tea competitions were very popular. Even ordinary people loved drinking tea, appreciating tea, and competing in tea tasting.
However, not everyone actually understands the art of tea; many people are simply following the crowd and imitating others poorly.
This is certainly not something shameful, but Shen Youying never expected to taste such fine tea from the seemingly poor and weak Chen Yaoniang in an extremely simple house.
Chen Yaoniang said, "I know a little bit; my father taught me before."
Shen Youying remembered Zhao Meier saying that Chen Yaoniang's father had once been an official, and she immediately understood. She put down her teacup and said, "Your father raised you very well."
Chen Yaoniang shook her head, her expression somewhat somber as if she had just remembered something: "It's only because Father is delirious now that he's ill. If he were still lucid, he would probably be disappointed in me."
Shen Youying shook her head: "If your father knew what you're going through now, he would only feel sorry for you."
Chen Yaoniang was at a loss for words, and she didn't understand why her mother had suddenly come here to say such things to her. She could only lower her head and stare at her cotton boots that she had mended and patched.
Seeing this, Shen Youying simply took out the storybook and placed it on the table.
"Don't be nervous. We've come here without warning because of this storybook. Did you write it?"
After taking the book and looking through it, Chen Yaoniang nodded nervously: "It was written by me."
“When my husband and I visited Qingyan Town, we happened to listen to a storyteller at the Zhao Family Teahouse. The storyteller was telling this story. When the Zhao siblings saw that I was interested, they lied and said that the story was written by Zhao Meier.” Shen Youying omitted some of the twists and turns, and only explained her purpose in a gentle manner: “I really like this story, and since my close friend has opened a bookstore, I originally intended to introduce Zhao Meier to this story…”
She watched Chen Yaoniang's expression as she spoke, and when she saw her expression change, she continued, "But I unintentionally found out that Zhao Meier was an imposter, and you are the true owner of the story. I don't want a truly talented person to be buried, so I took the liberty of coming here."
When Chen Yaoniang heard her gently say, "I don't want truly talented people to be buried," her eyes couldn't help but redden.
She held back her tears, hastily wiped her eyes with her sleeve, and said, "Thank you for your appreciation, Madam. I've always enjoyed writing these little things since I was a young girl, and I never thought about making money from it. It was only because my family was really in dire straits that I had no choice..."
There's nothing shameful about making money through your own talents.
Shen Youying interrupted her self-deprecating words and coaxed her gently, "My friend loves reading storybooks, so she opened a bookstore and recruited many scholars to write them. But they just keep writing the same stories, and she's getting tired of them. After I saw your storybook, I thought you and she would get along very well."
"I came here today to ask you if you would be willing to send any new stories to my friend's bookstore if you have any in the future? As for the payment, you can discuss that separately."
Chen Yaoniang stared at her blankly, her expression incredulous, and subconsciously refused, saying, "Storybooks aren't worth much. I've written quite a few before, just for fun. Madam has been very kind to me. If you want them, I can compile them all for you."
Shen Youying slowly shook her head: "You still don't understand what I mean. Storybooks are very popular among the women in the inner quarters of the capital. Every bookstore makes a considerable income from storybooks every year. If your storybooks sell well, it will not be a one-off business, but a long-term business."
"You can earn a living by writing storybooks, and you can even take your father to the capital for medical treatment..."
Chen Yaoniang understood this time. She was stunned for a long time before saying in a trembling voice, "I...I'm willing."
Shen Youying breathed a sigh of relief and smiled, "That's good, but after all, I'm not running this shop. My friend is a woman, so it's not appropriate for her to travel far. It would be best if you could go to the capital in the future; if not, we'll have to find someone to run errands and deliver messages."
Chen Yaoniang looked thoughtful, and after a long while, she finally made up her mind and said, "I will go to the capital."
She glanced back at the inner room and said softly, "I've actually wanted to take my father to the capital for medical treatment for a long time, but I haven't made up my mind yet because I don't have enough money and I'm unfamiliar with the place."
Now there was a rope hanging in front of her that could lead her to escape her current predicament, and she was determined not to let it slip away.
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