Chapter 21 Bookstore

"Girl, why are you up so early today?"

"I'm going out today."

When Qingdai heard this, she hurriedly put back the clothes she had originally taken and got a new set of clothes for her daughter to go out.

"Miss, have you made an appointment with Miss Lu and the others? Would you like to wear this light yellow silk dress?"

Qingdai's favorite thing is to dress up her own daughter. The girl has fair skin, and on a spring day like this, goose yellow is the most suitable color for her. If she wears a cute hanging bun, she will look... so cute.

In the past, Shen Yuan never worried about what kind of skirt to wear or what kind of hair to comb. Since Qingdai liked to think about these things, she was happy and at ease. After all, Qingdai's vision and hair-combing skills were really good.

But today, Shen Yuan had other ideas.

"I have something to do at the bookstore today, so I'll wear azure blue. Please give me a bun that will make me look older."

Although Qingdai was puzzled as to why her daughter looked older when she went to the bookstore, as a servant she did not ask much questions. She followed Shen Yuan's request, got her skirt back, and combed her hair into a beautiful flying fairy bun.

"You are so pretty, girl. I have never combed your hair like this before. I didn't expect it to be so suitable."

Shen Yuan looked at himself in the mirror and was extremely satisfied, "Qingdai, your craftsmanship is so good."

"It's because the girl is beautiful." Originally, Qingdai always thought that the girl had such a personality, coupled with her well-behaved and smart appearance, so when combing her hair, she chose a double ring bun or a hanging bun.

I didn't expect that she would wear a bun today, revealing a full and shiny forehead, which suited her very well. She had a very different feeling from usual. If she was a well-behaved and lovely girl in the past, she was a graceful young lady today.

Shen Yuan liked his new hairstyle very much. Before going out, he went to his sister-in-law's yard on purpose. One reason was to tell his sister-in-law that he was going to the street today, and the other was to show off his hair.

After receiving a basket of compliments, Shen Yuan took Bai Zhi out as usual. The reason was that among his four older girls, Bai Zhi was the best fighter.

Her destination today is Yishengtang, the largest bookstore in the capital.

This Yishengtang had already existed during the previous dynasty. Not only had the bookshop survived the change of dynasties, but during the cultural prosperity of the current dynasty, his bookshop had become even more prosperous.

Their family not only rents and sells books, but also prints and publishes books. Don't underestimate the influence of a bookstore on books. In a place like Yishengtang, many people buy books simply because of the bookstore's reputation.

Yisheng Hall is located at the junction of the two most prosperous main streets in the capital. The building is also magnificently built. Shen Yuan noticed that even the servants doing odd jobs inside were more upright than those in other places.

"Is there any book you want to buy?"

As soon as Shen Yuan entered the door, the shopkeeper came up to greet her with a smile, and it was worth it for her to dress up today.

"In recent months, which of the legendary stories printed by Yishengtang has sold the best?"

The shopkeeper turned around and pulled out a book from the shelf and handed it to Shen Yuan, "Look, young lady, the best-selling book here in recent months is this legendary book - The Story of Lian Xiang."

Shen Yuan nodded and asked Bai Zhi to use the money to buy the legendary book called "Lianxiangji".

"Boss, if I send you a manuscript, will it be printed?"

The shopkeeper never expected that the girl in front of him actually wanted to write her own story.

"Of course it depends on how well it is written. If you have a manuscript, you can send it in. We have a special gentleman here who will decide whether to print it." The implication is that if the writing is not good, Yishengtang will not print it and damage its reputation.

"Okay, I understand. Thank you."

Shen Yuan didn't buy anything else and just took Bai Zhi out. She was going out today anyway, and she planned to go to the street to see Er Niang later.

"Girl, do you want to write a story?"

"Yes, your girl just wants to find something to do for herself."

Shen Yuan felt that although he was not good at writing poems or articles, he should be able to write stories, and he had a lot of materials to use.

"Girl, you can definitely write an extremely good story, and you will definitely be famous in the capital!"

"You are such a sweet talker. I will buy you some snacks from Linglongji later."

"Thank you, girl!"

…

"Second Mother, give me two sandwiches." Shen Yuan walked to Second Mother's sandwich stall and said softly.

Er Niang was still the same as last time, with a cloth towel tied on her head and an apron tied around her waist. She lowered her head and chopped meat. When she heard someone asking for a cake, she immediately agreed.

The moment I looked up, I saw Shen Yuan's face, with an expression of surprise on it.

Shen Yuan spoke first: "I haven't seen you for a few days. I miss the sandwiches you made. They are so delicious!"

Er Niang's hands did not stop. She swiftly took out a hot cake from the stove, put it on the chopping board, and cut it in half with a knife. "Young lady, you have eaten all kinds of delicious food, yet you are praising my ordinary cake."

"What I said is absolutely true. My last name is Shen, and I am the fourth child in my family."

Both cakes were stuffed full of meat by Er Niang. The meat was brined and covered with red brined sauce. The brined meat was 20% fat and 80% lean, not greasy or dry, and it made people's appetite growl just by looking at it.

Shen Yuan looked at the obviously more flesh than last time and motioned Bai Zhi to give him the silver, but he was blocked by Er Niang.

"Miss Shen Si, I can't accept money for this cake." At this point, Er Niang lowered her voice, "I'm so sorry for what happened last time. After I went home last time, the aunt next door found me another marriage. This time it sounds reliable. She said that the man's appearance is not good, so he has not been married. I didn't think much about it. With my conditions, why should I be picky about appearance?

Later I went to see him, and the man didn't look like what they said, at least he was pretty in my opinion. I suddenly thought of what you said, young lady, and then I secretly asked about it. I didn't expect that I would actually encounter such a thing. The one who came to see him was his servant, and the man introduced by Aunt Qiu turned out to be a fool. "

Bai Zhi was indignant: "How could such a thing really happen! That person is so wicked!"

"Girl, if it weren't for what you said, I would have fallen into the trap. Although I have to raise my younger siblings, I am also a normal girl and will never agree to marry a fool. I have no reason to thank you..."

Shen Yuan was very happy to have helped another girl escape from a possible fire pit. "Let's put things in perspective. Your business is small, how can I eat your food for free?"

Seeing that Er Niang wanted to talk more, Shen Yuan shook the cake in his hand and said, "You put a lot more meat in it and charged me the original price. Isn't this a thank you? If you don't charge me, I would be embarrassed to eat your cake."

The cakes made by Er Niang are always solid and contain a lot of meat. The two she made today are stuffed so full that you can’t even take a bite.

Ten cents is not a small amount. Ten cents can buy a liter of rice in the capital, let alone other places.

Er Niang had no choice but to accept the money, but there was something she felt she had to talk to Shen Yuan about.

"Girl, after you left that day, an adult came over and asked me what you said to me."