Chapter 1094: The loyal maid promoted to concubine (14)
Thanks to Zhu Yanli's help, Shi Chu sold all the buns earlier than usual that day, so he went home quickly. After returning home, Zhu Yanli also took the initiative to help clean the steamer and other things.
In the next few days, he still came early in the morning to help make dumplings, and then helped sell them. Shi Chu did not refuse, and really paid him a salary every day. Every time Zhu Yanli took the money, he looked at Shi Chu with complicated eyes. Shi Chu thought that he felt that it was against his nature to make money from a woman like her, so he patted his arm and comforted him:
"Little scholar, it's not shameful to earn money with your own hands. Besides, don't you still want to continue studying? You need money to buy pens, ink, paper and inkstone. You haven't been making money these days. You've spent all your time helping me. If you don't want to accept the money I give you, what are you going to do in the future? Don't think too much."
Zhu Yanli shook his head: "I didn't think too much about it. I just wanted to repay you for taking care of me that day, but I didn't expect that I would really work for you and earn your money... You don't make much from selling buns every day, and you have to give me part of it. I feel a little ashamed..."
Shi Chu raised his eyebrows, lowered his voice, and said to him, "Who said I don't make much money from selling buns? Don't you have any idea of the money you have collected for me these few days?"
Zhu Yanli paused, thought carefully about the money he handled every day, and thought about the cost of making buns, and finally said happily: "Then I can accept the wages you give me with peace of mind!"
"Go ahead and take it." Shi Chu said, and then asked him curiously, "I have a question, is it convenient for you to answer it?"
Zhu Yanli immediately smiled at her and said, "Madam Du, just ask."
"You said that your family was very poor, and that your mother used to wash clothes or do embroidery to support your studies. So where did your income come from after your mother passed away?" Shi Chu looked at him with wide eyes.
Her words were actually a bit offensive, but Zhu Yanli didn't care at all. His handsome face blushed again, and he said shyly: "I, I wrote many storybooks for the bookstore, and they sold quite well. The bookstore owner has been urging me to write more these days..."
When Shi Chu heard this, she looked at the well-behaved scholar in front of her in astonishment. She never expected that this scholar actually made a living by writing storybooks.
But since it sold well and the bookstore owner kept urging him to finish his manuscript, he must have written very well. So she asked excitedly, "What kind of storybooks have you written? Tell me the title, and I'll buy some to read, as a way of helping you."
Zhu Yanli's face suddenly turned even redder. He stammered, "It's just some stories about talented men and beautiful women... It's nothing special. It's not good for girls to read. You shouldn't read it..."
After hearing what he said, Shi Chu became even more curious and pestered him, "Just tell me, I really want to read it. What kind of storybook can't girls read? Since you said it's a story about a talented scholar and a beautiful woman, then girls can definitely read it, right?"
Zhu Yanli's face was so hot that it was about to smoke. When he thought of the love stories he had written, he felt very shy. Apart from the bookstore owner, he didn't dare to let anyone who knew him in real life know about it, especially since Shi Chu was a woman...
In order to make more money, he had written several erotic storybooks before, the kind that were very erotic. He wrote them entirely based on his own imagination, but he didn't expect them to be so popular. He heard from the bookstore owner that those storybooks were extremely popular in brothels and had become must-read stories for the prostitutes there. After knowing this, he was so scared that he didn't dare to write for a long time, for fear that his classmates would know that he was the one who wrote those storybooks.
Now Shi Chu still wanted to read his storybooks, how could he dare to say it? Even those relatively normal stories about talented men and beautiful women, he didn't want Shi Chu to see them, for fear that she would guess that the author of the erotic storybooks was also him based on his writing style, and then he really wouldn't be ashamed to appear in front of Shi Chu again.
"Girls really can't read it, Madam Du, don't ask anymore, you really can't read it..." Zhu Yanli was so anxious that he was sweating profusely. He felt ashamed and guilty, fearing that Shi Chu would have a bad impression of him if he knew the stories he wrote.
Shi Chu saw his embarrassed and anxious look and immediately understood. He looked at him jokingly and said, "It seems that what you write are all extraordinary novels..."
She used the word "incredible" in a meaningful way. Zhu Yanli was already feeling guilty, so when he heard her words, he immediately blurted out a retort: "I didn't!"
As soon as he finished speaking, he knew that he was trying to cover up something, and that he was trying to cover up something. As expected, Shi Chu's eyes were full of meaning when he looked at him. Zhu Yanli was embarrassed for a moment and hurriedly said, "I, I suddenly remembered that I have something important to do at home. I have to leave early today. Goodbye, Madam Du..."
Then he left as if escaping.
Shi Chu looked at his guilty little back and became even more curious about the storybook he wrote. She thought that she must coax the name of the storybook out of him someday. Once she got interested in something, she would not give up until she achieved her goal.
Shi Chu pushed the cart back home alone with a smile on his face, thinking about how to make Zhu Yanli compromise.
However, the next day, Zhu Yanli did not come to help as usual. Shi Chu couldn't help but wonder if he was still shy and was afraid that he would ask him about the storybook again, so he ran away at the last minute.
When Shi Chu arrived at the street, he found that everyone was much more excited. Then he learned from a vendor nearby that today was the day when the results would be announced.
I guess Zhu Yanli had to go to see his test results today and didn't have time to help me. It didn't seem to be because Shi Chu kept asking him about the story.
Shi Chu was not worried at all that he would not pass the examination to become a scholar. He was a man with talent and intelligence. If he did not do well in the examination, he would not be in such a good mood to help him make and sell buns these days.
Sure enough, when Shi Chu returned home after selling the buns, he heard lively laughter coming from Zhu Yanli's house. The usually quiet little house suddenly became lively, making Shi Chu's own little house seem pitifully deserted.
But Shi Chu didn't care at all. She was still very happy for the young scholar. Now that he had achieved fame, his status and position would be different, and the people he would make friends with would also be of a higher level. It seemed that he would never go with her to sell buns again in the future.
Shi Chu felt a little sorry. After all, this young scholar was quite efficient at work and not too nosy. If he was not a scholar, Shi Chu would have wanted to formally hire him as her helper. Unfortunately, now she could only think about it.
(End of this chapter)
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