Wenqing Bookstore, this name comes from Gu Jiu.
There is a little bit of nostalgia, a little bit of ridicule, and a little bit of bad taste.
Wenqing Bookstore is currently the only bookstore in Beijing that sells genuine Shanhe Academy exercise books.
It is also the only publisher and distributor.
Any exercise books sold anywhere else without authorization are pirated.
Wang Xuecheng picked up a workbook and saw the notice about genuine and pirated copies on the title page.
He opened the exercise book and looked at the densely packed questions, his head a little confused.
This way of asking questions is unheard of, and I have never seen it before.
"Will I be able to pass the entrance exam?"
Wang Xuecheng, who was full of confidence before coming here, now feels guilty.
Many questions make people dizzy and confused at first glance, so how can they be solved?
Wang Xuecheng sighed, but heard someone talking nonsense next door.
"It's nonsense, absurd, sensational, and completely worthless. They have the nerve to sell such a book. It's simply shameless. Readers have been corrupted by these books. They must be banned. They must be banned."
"This brother is very angry. Why did this book offend you?"
"Every word in this book reeks of stench, and you're not even allowed to curse? What? Are you a student at Shanhe Academy?"
"Could it be that you are a student at the Imperial College?"
"Exactly!"
cut!
There were all kinds of contemptuous noises around.
"The people from the Imperial College have nothing better to do than run wild here. Do they really think there's no one at Shanhe Academy?"
"If you don't agree, then come together. I alone am enough to defeat the entire Shanhe Academy."
"You are so shameless."
The two groups started arguing in the bookstore.
He's just rolling up his sleeves and shaking his fists.
Wang Xuecheng was very nervous and excited.
He glanced furtively at the counter.
The shopkeeper behind the counter raised his eyelids and continued to sleep, not taking the two groups of scholars seriously at all.
The bookstore clerk was a little nervous and stared at the troublemaker.
Wang Xuecheng looked at Yan Ci again.
Yan Ci was extremely excited. He whispered, "Last year, in the county, prefectural, and academy exams in the Gyeonggi region, Shanhe Academy had the most students admitted. It crushed all the other academies. Now, every academy in the Gyeonggi region views Shanhe Academy as an enemy. Not only did Shanhe Academy take first place in the exams, but it also snatched students from other academies, truly infuriating everyone."
"You know, the students competing with you for admission this time originally came from other academies. They all applied to Shanhe Academy because it's free, offers scholarships, and has excellent teachers, making it easier to pass the exams."
After saying that, Yan Ci patted Wang Xuecheng on the shoulder and said, "Brother Wang, you must work hard! Take the exam three or five more times, and you will definitely pass. Anyway, Shanhe Academy organizes an entrance exam at the end of every month. At worst, you can just live in Xinmin County for half a year."
Wang Xuecheng's face turned green.
He was short of money and when he went out, his father, Carpenter Wang, only gave him five taels of silver.
It is impossible to support oneself for half a year with five taels of silver while studying.
A book of exercises, the cheapest paperback edition, costs eight hundred coins.
The hardcover edition costs two taels of silver.
If you want to be admitted to Shanhe Academy, one exercise book is definitely not enough. You need to buy at least two or three.
You also need pens, ink, paper, and inkstone, as well as food and accommodation.
When you go out, everything costs money.
Five taels of silver will probably be spent in less than two months.
Wang Xuecheng felt unprecedented pressure. He had to quickly find a job that could support himself, or at least solve his food and accommodation problems.
All of this is for the purpose of getting into Shanhe Academy.
As long as you can pass the exam, all problems will be solved.
"Why don't the people in the bookstore care when they are making so much noise?" Wang Xuecheng asked curiously.
Yan Ci chuckled, "Who cares? This kind of thing has happened every three to five days since last year. Especially during the Spring Festival holiday, when everyone has nothing to do, the two groups would go to the bookstore and argue almost every day.
The shopkeeper was used to it and didn't bother to bother with them. After all, if they damaged books, they had to pay for them or buy them back themselves. Besides, their quarrels in the bookstore only brought them more visitors.
After saying that, Yan Ci pulled Wang Xuecheng to the other end.
He told Wang Xuecheng mysteriously, "Let me tell you, this bookstore not only sells exercise books, but they also sell the latest storybooks. Look at this one, 'Qi Lang's Ten Battles with the Flower Thief.' It's the most popular storybook right now, and it's already up to the twelfth chapter. It's said to have a total of twenty chapters, and I buy every new chapter.
Last time, I wrote about Qilang, with the help of Sanniang, finding the thieves' den, but he was gone. My heart was burning with anxiety. Hey, the notice has come out! Hurry up! Chapter 13 will be published at the end of this month. Oh my god, what should I do? The next day after the new book is published is the entrance exam for the academy. Should I buy it or not? What if I miss the entrance exam? What should I do?
Yan Ci beat his chest and stamped his feet, feeling very upset.
Wang Xuecheng was completely confused.
He looked around and saw that there were many people like Yan Ci.
They either shook their heads and sighed, or looked as if they had lost their parents, or fell to the ground with no tears to cry.
"My Third Lady, my Seventh Prince, this is going to kill me."
"Why would a bookstore choose to publish a book the day before the entrance exam? They're really doing us a disservice!"
A young man walked in, fanning himself, and looking at the various readers, he sneered, "I complain that the bookstore is too slow to publish books, and you complain that it publishes books too early. You are simply like a well-fed man who doesn't know the hunger of a hungry man."
"Sir, how could you possibly know how hard we've been preparing for the entrance exam? On one hand, there's the entrance exam, and on the other, there's my beloved Third Lady. And it happens the day before the exam. What can I do? If I watch it, I'm afraid it'll affect the exam. If I don't watch it, I'm even more afraid of it affecting the exam. Sir, tell me, should I watch it or not?"
The young man laughed and said, "If you want to watch, then watch. Who cares?"
Then, the young master instructed the accompanying servant, "Remember the publication date of the book. Don't forget it. Then buy ten hardcover copies, three paperback copies, and two simple editions."
"Sir, why are you buying so much?"
"Give it away! Are you stupid?"
When the scholars heard that the young master wanted to buy ten hardcover books in one go, their eyes immediately turned red. They were envious and jealous!
It is a hardcover book, placed in an exquisite wooden box with colorful bookmarks. More importantly, the book contains colorful illustrations of Sanniang and Qillang.
It is said that in the hardcover edition of the second chapter, the illustration of Sanniang is only wearing a gauze skirt, and is vaguely visible.
I also heard that the first hardcover edition, which was printed in the thousands, sold out in less than a day. Later, another 5,000 copies were printed, and they were still sold out.
The color illustrations in the hardcover edition are very touching, and the price is also touching: three taels of silver per copy.
Currently, bookstores also have a set edition for sale, which compiles the stories of the first twelve chapters into a book. The hardcover set edition costs eight taels of silver.
There is also a supreme hardcover edition, which is said to have twenty more color illustrations and costs fifteen taels per set.
For those scholars who study hard, the hardcover edition is enough for them to just read. They cannot afford it, they simply cannot afford it.
Yan Ci's eyes burned with jealousy. He muttered to Wang Xuecheng, "My dream has always been to buy a hardcover copy of the second chapter, which includes Sanniang. But it costs three taels of silver, and I'm so strapped for cash!"
Yan Ci choked up, not being able to buy a hardcover copy of the second volume was his biggest regret.
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