Jiang Yuwei quickly followed Manager Zhang to the front hall, where everyone was eating with their heads down, so Jiang Yuwei could only wait on the side.
"This dish is truly delicious, Brother Xu! You really didn't lie to us. Where did you hire your chef?"
"Yes, this dish is much tastier than the food in restaurants."
"That's right. You don't even know who Brother Xu is. His family's cooks are naturally better than those outside."
"Brother Xu, I truly envy you for being able to enjoy such delicious meals every day."
Seeing that everyone was enjoying their meal, the second young master of the Xu family waved his hand happily.
"I hope everyone is satisfied with today's meal. I specially hired a chef from outside to cook for today's poetry gathering. I would love to eat such delicious food every day, but unfortunately, the chef is unwilling to stay at my residence."
After saying this, the second young master looked up and saw Jiang Yuwei standing in the corner. His eyes lit up and he waved to her.
"You, it's you, come here!"
Seeing that the second young master was pointing at her, Jiang Yuwei stepped forward and bowed.
"Second Young Master."
The second young master nodded to Jiang Yuwei with satisfaction:
"The food was quite good today, so there's a reward for you. By the way, I heard from the steward that you provided the paper for today's poetry gathering?"
Jiang Yuwei smiled and nodded:
"Yes, that paper is called Yuwei paper. It was specially made by our family's paper mill. I wonder if the Second Young Master is used to it?"
Upon hearing this, the second young master's eyes showed a hint of approval:
"Yes, that Yuwei paper is indeed very good. It writes smoothly without bleeding ink, and the paper thickness is just right. What I like most is the gold powder paper. It shines in the sunlight, and my handwriting looks very good on it."
Seeing that everyone who was eating was now looking up at her with interest, Jiang Yuwei smiled and said:
"Of course, our gold-flecked paper is made of real gold, which is most befitting of the Second Young Master's status."
"It's real gold! No wonder the paper looks so expensive."
"This is the first time I've ever heard of gold being incorporated into paper."
"Yes, those floral paper pieces are also quite nice, they have a unique style."
Hearing the discussions among the crowd, Jiang Yuwei knew that the sponsorship had been quite successful.
"So, how much do you sell your gold-flecked paper for?"
Jiang Yuwei turned to the scholar who had asked the question and smiled:
"My gold-flecked paper costs one tael of silver per sheet, floral paper costs one tael of silver per reel, and Yuwei paper costs twenty-five cash per reel. If you need any, you can come here to register. We can also pre-order and deliver to your door."
"Such good Yuwei paper is only twenty coins a bundle, and they even deliver to my door? It's much cheaper than Ge's!"
"I'd like to buy some gold foil paper."
"I think that floral paper looks nice, I want floral paper."
Seeing the crowd's enthusiasm, Jiang Yuwei quickly bowed to the Second Young Master and said:
"Young Master, to be honest, I brought a lot of paper with me today. I wonder if I could use your esteemed residence to sell the paper I brought today?"
The second young master nodded and smiled:
"It's alright. The paper for our poetry gathering is all sponsored by you anyway, so you can sell it if you want."
Jiang Yuwei quickly thanked the second young master, and then said to Steward Zhang:
"Manager Zhang, would you mind letting my husband bring in the oxcart so that our esteemed guest can purchase paper?"
Steward Zhang nodded and instructed the servant beside him:
"Go and bring the oxcart parked at the gate in through the back door, and find a few people to move all the papers on the cart to the front yard."
Jiang Yuwei borrowed another table from Steward Zhang. She was in charge of registering member information, while Ning Daya was in charge of collecting money. Some people who bought small amounts could take the money with them, while others had Jiang Yuwei deliver it to their homes.
Jiang Yuwei had hoped to sell the five hundred reams of paper that were left unsold, but to her surprise, these scholars loved paper so much that not only were all five hundred reams of Yuwei paper she brought sold out, but the dozen or so sheets of gold powder paper and twenty reams of floral paper that Jiang Yuwei had prepared were also sold out. Many who hadn't been able to buy any paid money to reserve them with Jiang Yuwei.
Ning Daya was busy collecting money until her hands were sore, while Jiang Yuwei had also accumulated a thick stack of membership information.
After finishing everything, the second young master looked at Jiang Yuwei and smiled:
"You're quite the businessman. I've done you a great favor today, so could you grant me a favor?"
Jiang Yuwei frowned slightly, then smiled and said:
"What can I do for you, Second Young Master?"
The second young master looked at the table full of food and said:
"You don't have to stay at my house as a chef, but you have to come and cook for me whenever there's a major banquet at my house."
Jiang Yuwei pondered for a moment and slowly spoke:
"I can promise the Second Young Master that I will come to the mansion to cook whenever I have free time, but I also want the Second Young Master to promise me one thing."
Seeing that Jiang Yuwei dared to make a request of him, the second young master raised an eyebrow and looked at her with interest:
"Oh? What is it?"
Jiang Yuwei stood up and bowed:
"I hope that in the future, when the Second Young Master's mansion hosts similar literary gatherings, our family's paper mill will provide paper for free, would that be alright?"
The second young master pondered for a moment, then burst into laughter:
"Okay, okay, I agree to this, but I have requirements for the quality of the paper. You can't not use good paper just because it's sponsored."
Jiang Yuwei nodded and slowly began to speak:
"That's for sure. In the future, I will not only provide high-quality paper, but also showcase all the new products from our paper mill and give them priority to our distinguished guests at the Second Young Master's residence."
The second young master seemed quite satisfied with Jiang Yuwei's answer. He whispered a few words to the maid beside him and then told her to take Jiang Yuwei down to receive the reward.
After Jiang Yuwei took the silver, she took Ning Daya to the backyard to find Ning Huaizhi.
As soon as Jiang Yuwei saw Ning Huaizhi, she jumped up and ran into his arms excitedly, saying:
"Huaizhi, all our paper has sold out! We even have many more pre-orders today! Soon, our Yuwei paper will become the paper that our distinguished guests prefer!"
Ning Huaizhi blushed at Jiang Yuwei's sudden action, his body stiffening as she held him, and he stammered:
"Wife, you're really amazing. But, right now, it seems a bit inappropriate for us to be hugging and cuddling like this in someone else's house..."
Jiang Yuwei then realized that she had lost her composure due to her excitement. She quickly released her arm from Ning Huaizhi, coughed a few times to ease her embarrassment, and then looked at Ning Daya, who was standing behind her with her face turned to the side, and said:
"Da Ya, get in the car, let's go."
Ning Daya nodded hurriedly and followed.
Ning Huaizhi noticed Jiang Yuwei's bright red ear tips, chuckled softly, and drove the oxcart out of the back gate of the Xu residence.
The three of them first went to a jewelry shop and bought some gold powder, then went to the vegetable market to do some shopping before driving the oxcart towards Ningjia Village. Just as they arrived at the gate of the courtyard, Jiang Yuwei saw Liu Shi pacing anxiously back and forth at her door.
When the three arrived at Liu's side, they found that her eyes were already swollen and red like walnuts from crying. Seeing Jiang Yuwei finally return, Liu rushed forward, took Jiang Yuwei's hand, and said in a tearful voice:
"Yuwei, I have no other choice. I have to beg you. I really shouldn't have asked, but I really have no other option but to come to you..."
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