Chapter 80: Pen, Ink, Paper and Inkstone

"Pull the hook and hang yourself, and don't change for a hundred years--"

After saying that, stamp it with your thumb.

This is a common way of playing among modern children.

But this was the first time Zhang Jinlan met him.

Just when she wanted to ask something.

Jiang Shoujia came over with his eldest son and his family.

"How come they're sold out so quickly? Come on, give me the backpack."

Several people took the backpack and bamboo basket from Zhang Jinlan.

"Our eggs are big and many people buy them. What about you? Have you gone to school? How is it?" After Teng made his move, Zhang Jinlan picked up her granddaughter and asked anxiously.

"I have already accepted Tongmu. I will move in tomorrow. I will go home once every ten days and stay for three days each time. The tuition fee is three taels of silver per year, and food and drink are not included. I also need to prepare a gift for the teacher. I will buy pork tomorrow morning. The teacher of the school specifically said that I don't need to prepare six gifts, so I will buy more pork. Five pounds should be enough."

Jiang Shoujia said slowly.

"It's really expensive, Tongmu, you should study hard, read more books, and teach your brothers and sisters. By the way, did the school tell you what to prepare? Writing brushes, inkstones, and books?"

Zhang Jinlan took a breath of cool air.

She has thought about the cost of studying.

I didn't expect it to be so expensive.

The annual maintenance fee for the beam is already three taels.

Not counting food and drink.

No wonder no one in the village sends their children to school.

In previous years, their family could only save two taels a year, and sometimes even less than two taels.

All three sons have to get married, there are so many mouths to feed in the family.

If anyone is sick, they have to ask a doctor to buy medicine.

Whenever the harvest was bad, we had to tighten our belts and go half-hungry to get through the year.

"I have to buy them all. Otherwise, what will my child use to write? I also have to buy some primers."

Jiang Shoujia is not like Zhang Jinlan.

Instead, he was very calm.

Before coming, he guessed that he would spend a lot of money today.

"Okay, let's go buy things for Tongmu first, and then buy cloth for Fubao. As for the butcher shop, we have to go there too. Five pounds of meat is a lot, we have to let them keep it. If we want to buy anything, we should buy good meat, half lean and half fat pork belly. We have to give a good gift, otherwise what should we do if the master makes things difficult for our Tongmu?"

Although Zhang Jinlan dug it.

But he is very good to his grandson.

"Grandma, don't worry, I will definitely study hard."

Jiang Tongmu, who was standing by, always felt like he was dreaming.

It was clear that he was chopping wood in the mountains yesterday.

Why do we have to go to school today?

So, in the future, did he become a scholar, the kind who could compose a poem in three steps?

"Good boy, I don't ask you to pass the imperial examinations. As long as you study hard and become an accountant in the future, I will be satisfied. Farming is hard. I hope you can all live in the city in the future. Look, it's so nice here, so lively. You don't even need to heat up a pot to eat. You can just eat wontons and noodles."

On the way to Youran Street.

Zhang Jinlan looked left and right.

My eyes are filled with envy.

The clan leader's youngest son works as an accountant in town.

I heard that the monthly salary is at least half an ounce of silver, and also includes food and accommodation.

It's easy to save five taels of silver in a year.

Isn’t it much better than farming?

"Here we are. This is the bookstore. The teacher just said that the sixth bookstore on Youran Street sells the cheapest books."

Jiang Shoujia stopped outside a bookstore.

Jiang Fubao looked up.

There was only a plaque hanging above, with four big characters "Moqing Bookstore" written on it.

"Sir, what would you like to buy?"

The waiter in the shop saw the Jiang family standing at the door.

Hurrying out to greet him.

"I bought my grandson some pens, ink, paper, and inkstone, as well as an enlightenment book, what was it called..."

The teacher told him so many things that Jiang Shoujia couldn't remember them all at once.

"But you are a student of Sanshan Academy?"

Seeing that he couldn't remember, the waiter asked tentatively.

"Yes, yes, yes, my son studies in this school." Jiang Dahe replied quickly.

"That's elementary education. Please come in and I'll get it for you to see."

The waiter was very enthusiastic.

After all, students who have just entered school buy a lot of things.

Unlike those poor students who come to the bookshop to read books all day without spending a penny and stay there for a whole day before leaving.

The kindness of the shopkeeper.

Nor do they chase after them.

"Come here, sir. These are elementary books. One is a formal edition. It's a little expensive, costing two taels of silver, but the handwriting is clear. The other is a handwritten copy, which is cheaper, costing only one tael of silver. Which one do you want?"

Jiang Fubao's eyes widened.

So expensive!

A book this thin costs two taels.

Then wouldn't it cost dozens of taels of silver to pass the exam and become a scholar?

No wonder there is not a single scholar in the village.

We are so poor that we can’t even have enough to eat.

Only the clan leader's family has spare money to send their children to school.

"Just a handwritten copy. It's pretty clear, and there's also pen, ink, paper, and inkstone. Do you have anything cheaper?"

Jiang Shoujia only knows a few simple words.

He flipped through the book.

Most of them don’t know each other.

I just looked at the words to see if they were clear, then closed the book.

The price of the book was more expensive than he had imagined.

"Okay, I'll go pick out some cheap ones for you guys."

The waiter didn't mind him buying a handwritten copy.

Although his salary is fixed every month, the shopkeeper is nice and will give him a bonus at the end of the year if he earns a lot.

"Sir, please take a look. Although one corner of this inkstone is chipped, you can't see it unless you look carefully. I'll give you two ink sticks for free. They only cost one and a half ounces of silver. And this paper has been accidentally touched by water. It has been dried in the sun. It won't affect your use, but it doesn't look good. It only costs two hundred coins.

As for the brushes, our bookshop just received a batch of new brushes. The old ones have been lying around for a long time. The shopkeeper said he wanted to sell them at a lower price, so I picked one for you. Do you think this is okay? It’ll only cost you sixty coins.”

The waiter introduced them one by one.

The Jiang family members didn’t know what was good or bad.

Jiang Shoujia took the lead and nodded, saying, "Then I'll take them all. Please calculate how much it costs."

"Okay! I'll calculate it for you. The handwritten book is one liang, the inkstone is one and a half liang, the paper is two hundred wen, and the brush is sixty wen. The total is two liang, seven hundred and sixty wen."

After the waiter finished the calculation, he looked at Jiang Shoujia and waited for him to pay.

Next second.

Zhang Jinlan squeezed over.

In this situation, she would naturally bargain.

"Young man, can you please give us a cheaper price? Look, it's so hard for us farmers to support a student. Just buy some things, it's enough for us to save for a few years. Or you can just give us the remaining money. Anyway, we bought so much, so you can just give us the brushes and paper as a gift."

Zhang Jinlan's lips moved up and down.

The waiter was stunned.

I've seen other people bargain.

I've never seen anyone bargain like this.

How can you round off the amount like that?

Good fellow.

Just take two hundred and sixty cents and leave?

"This bookstore is not mine, so I really can't give you a discount. Our bookstore sells the cheapest books on this street, and the price can't be any lower. Otherwise, I'll give you five more sheets of paper. How about that?"

The waiter waved his hands repeatedly.

Rejected immediately.

Zhang Jinlan will not compromise easily.

So the Jiang family took a step back.

Watching her 'fight' with the waiter.