The system is silent again.
Chen Cuiguai explained embarrassedly: [You see, I now have 370 shopping points, plus the calligraphy task that Erpang is doing, that’s 470 points, I only owe you 30 points. 】
system:【……】
How should I put it? Although the host took advantage of the system in order to pay off the debt, it just felt weird!
During the following New Year holidays, Shen Cui took Mu Erpang back to Shen's house every morning, and returned in the afternoon to practice calligraphy with him.
Before the deadline of the task, Mu Erpang had already finished writing three books of tracing.
After he finished writing, he compared it with his own, still feeling unsatisfied, "Mom really wasn't lying, after practicing for a few days, my writing is obviously much better than before!"
A message from the system reminding her that the task was completed sounded in Shen Cui's mind. The 100 shopping points were quickly credited to her account, but they were also immediately deducted by the system, and the balance remained negative.
Like the previous enlightenment reading materials, the copybooks given by the system also have a benefit effect. During the period of practicing calligraphy, Mu Erpang's personal attributes also increased.
But just like upgrading in online games, you may need to complete one or two tasks to upgrade at the beginning, but later you may need three or four tasks to upgrade. Mu Erpang's attribute upgrade has obviously become slower.
I read three books first, two of which had more than a thousand words, and I gave 3 points to one of them. The one with the least words, "Hundred Family Surnames", was given 2 points, adding a total of 8 points.
This time he practiced seven or eight characters in total, and only added 2 points to the attribute.
And the way they added points is quite crooked, with 1 point added to emotional intelligence and 1 point added to charm. It is not a particularly important attribute on the road to studying for the imperial examinations.
There was no way to explain the randomness given by this system. Shen Cui turned around and looked carefully at Mu Erpang's calligraphy practice results.
He was right. In just a few days, his handwriting changed from scribbles to dog-crawling characters.
Although there is still a huge difference between his calligraphy and Mu Yunchuan's elegant handwriting, the progress is really visible!
On the day the task was completed, the system released a new task.
[System Task: The subject has now become familiar with the introductory reading materials and has learned a lot of words. Compared with his past, he has made great progress. It's time to take a quiz. The content of this quiz includes reciting introductory reading materials and randomly checking the writing of learned characters. 】
【Mission time: three days later.】 】
[Note: This task is a recurring task and will be released irregularly every month. 】
The system had been updated with side quests before, and now there were monthly quests, which Shen Cui was not surprised at all.
Anyway, students in later schools also have to take monthly exams. It is convenient for teachers to grasp children’s learning progress in real time.
The review of memorization is easy to do. There are only three books in total. Chen Cui accompanied Mu Erpang to read the set of enlightenment books again.
In just one day, Mu Erpang was able to recite the entire text.
As for writing, I have already finished writing in three books of tracing.
Mu Erpang wrote it carefully, stroke by stroke. Although each page of paper could be used by turning it over, Mu Erpang was reluctant to do so, so he used a brush dipped in water to write on the desk.
Chen Cui saw him holding a pen in one hand and a rag in the other, and after writing for a while he would wipe the table again.
There was no reason to rely on the system to issue a few pieces of paper, and there would definitely be times in the future when he would need to practice calligraphy in private, so Shen Cui said she would take him to the city to buy things.
Most of the shops selling these things are located on Shuyuan Street next to Qingzhu Academy, and this was the first time the mother and son came here.
It was almost the middle of the first lunar month, and students from other places had finished celebrating the New Year at home and were returning to the academy one after another to continue their studies.
Shuyuan Street has once again become lively and prosperous, having shaken off the deserted scene during the Chinese New Year.
Most of the people walking on the street are scholars and literati in their teens or early twenties.
Chen Cui asked around and found a stationery store with a very good reputation.
This shop not only sells stationery of that era, but also some handwritten books.
Since Shen Cui was here, she asked about the price.
This question startled her.
According to the shop owner, an enlightenment book like "Three Character Classic" costs five or six cents of silver!
This is still cheap. If it is like the one issued by the system, similar to the woodblock printing, it is normal to sell it for one or two taels of silver.
The shop owner saw that she was unfamiliar and was afraid that she would think he was cheating her, so he explained: "Madam, you don't know, this job of copying books is not easy. Not only does it require clear and beautiful handwriting, and the font size is consistent, but there can't be any mistakes, omissions or corrections. It is a very laborious job. For a book like "Three Character Classic", even a quick copyist would have to spend ten days carefully writing it. After deducting the cost of pens, ink and paper, the profit is only about two or three cents of silver. This profit has to be shared by our store and the copyist. I really don't want a high price."
This is indeed true.
The owner is really honest, no wonder he has such a good reputation.
Chen Cui nodded in understanding, and then asked about the prices of pens, inkstones, etc.
These things come in different grades and prices.
A good pen would cost several taels of silver.
If it is used by ordinary students who do not pursue particularly high quality, the whole set will cost about four or five taels.
You have to know that one tael of silver can buy two stone of rice in that era! The wages of the city dwellers are usually only half a tael or one tael. For example, the Shen brothers, who work as a small manager or a second cook in the city and have some power, only get two or three taels of silver a month.
No wonder after the original body married into the Mu family, things started to go wrong since Mu Yunchuan started to study - supporting a scholar at that time was like burning money.
Shen Cui thanked the system again in her mind, otherwise she would never be able to support Mu Erpang without relying on her parents.
With only five taels left in her hand, Shen Cui could only smile apologetically at the shopkeeper and said, "I don't have enough money today, so I'd better just buy a roll of paper first."
The shop owner was not surprised. He smiled nonchalantly and continued to introduce paper to her.
Of course, this paper is divided into different grades, but since Chen Cui had directly said that she didn't have enough money, the owner didn't sell the expensive ones and chose the two most affordable ones.
Chen Cui reached out and felt around, then chose the thicker one and bought one for one penny.
One knife buys 100 pieces, which works out to one penny per piece. Compared with other things, it is indeed very affordable.
While Shen Cui was communicating with the owner, Mu Erpang stood at the door and didn't dare to move.
At first, it was because the store was not spacious enough and she was afraid that her mother would be squeezed.
When he heard the shop owner say that everything here was worth a lot of money, he shrank even more.
In fact, the owner was worried at first that Mu Erpang's body might knock his things over, so he would glance at him from time to time when talking to Shen Cui.
Later, seeing that he had not moved, she naturally discovered his proper behavior. When sending Shen Cui out, she smiled and said, "Madam is so lucky. The young master is young, but he is thoughtful and knows how to care for others. When the young master passes the imperial examination in the future, Madam will be very lucky!"
As he spoke, the shop owner walked them to the door.
Just then, a few scholars who were traveling together walked by, whispering to each other about the books they had read the day before. They were all wearing scholar's robes. Although the texture of the robes was not much different from those worn by most ordinary people, for some reason, they looked elegant and outstanding when worn on them.
When Mu Erpang saw this, he couldn't help but reveal a look of envy and longing.
When the shop owner saw this, he smiled and said, "Young Master is also a scholar. Such scholar robes can be made in this street. The shop next door is owned by an acquaintance of my family. Madam, if you bring Young Master and tell me your name, you can get a cheaper price."
Mu Erpang's eyes lit up when he heard this, but he quickly shook his head and said, "No, what I'm wearing now is also good."
As he said this, he tucked in his thick coat somewhat embarrassedly.
After being out for a long time, she could only afford to buy Er Pang a piece of paper. Chen Cui said to him apologetically, "Then let's listen to the shop owner and go to the next door to ask. It's just the right time to make some new clothes as the season is about to change."
Mu Erpang moved his lips, and finally pulled her aside and whispered, "Mom, forget it, everything is expensive here. I can just wear last year's old clothes when the season changes."
Chen Cui said, "Let's just ask the price like we did just now. It doesn't cost money."
Only then did Mu Erpang nod his head.
The mother and son went to the tailor shop next door.
The shop was much smaller than the one that sold study tools, and was run by only an old tailor.
Although Chen Cui and Mu Erpang were dressed ordinary, they were holding the papers from the next room in their hands, and Chen Cui looked calm, with a calmness that came from someone who had seen a lot of the world.
The old tailor did not dare to neglect him and smiled and said, "What would you like to see, Madam and Young Master? We have ready-made clothes here, and we can also make custom ones."
Originally, she came to inquire about the price, so she didn't beat around the bush and said directly: "My child wants to make a spring shirt that can be worn in a month or so. The owner of the shop next door recommended it to me. I don't know what the market price is."
The old tailor smiled and said, "Madam, you have come at the right time. If you are in a hurry to wear something, you can only buy ready-made clothes. Now is the perfect time. You can measure the size of the young master and place an order in advance. When spring comes, he can wear it. As for the price, it is very fair. A spring shirt made of fine cotton cloth is only two or three cents of silver. If this young master makes it, it will be about three cents. Madam, just go to the street and ask about the price. It is absolutely fair."
As he spoke, the old tailor looked at Mu Erpang again. Although he didn't say it explicitly, his meaning was very clear. Although Mu Erpang has not grown up yet and is short, he is fat. Cloth is also a kind of hard currency at that time. If he uses more cloth, wouldn't the price be the same as that of an adult?
This dress plus the paper in front would cost nearly half a tael of silver. She only had a little over five taels on hand, and she spent one-tenth of it on each shopping trip. It is no exaggeration to say that money is spent like water.
The system took advantage of the opportunity to say in her mind: [Host, why waste this money? If you do the side quests well, you can start by cutting a handkerchief or sewing a purse. Once you become a junior tailor, you can make clothes by yourself. The clothes made by the host using the system's needlework and cloth also have bonus effects and are much more affordable than this. 】
Although the system is very tempting, it costs an estimated 300 shopping points to make ten small things to upgrade from level zero to the primary level.
The balance of the Shencui shopping mall was still negative, so naturally, no one dared to say anything.
Seeing that her mother didn't agree right away, Mu Erpang immediately said, "Mom, I don't really like this. I'm fine wearing casual clothes."
"Forget it, just make one." Chen Cui made the final decision, "You grow taller every year anyway, and last year's clothes won't fit you anymore, so just make a good one. I won't make new ones this spring and autumn."
The old tailor smiled and said, "Yes, the material we use in our shop is good and very durable. I will make it looser for you, so you can wear it for two or three years!"
Seeing that Mu Erpang was still hesitating, Shen Cui readily gave him the money and asked the old tailor to take Mu Erpang's measurement.
Mu Erpang kept saying no, saying he already had clothes, and dodged the measuring tape in the tailor's hand.
Shen Cui thought that she was here, and this child refused to accept it, so she said, "Mother is a little thirsty, go across the street to buy a cup of tea, and come out to find me when you are done."
Seeing that she had given all the money and was going to hide away, Mu Erpang changed his words and said, "How about this, I give all the New Year's money to mother?"
The tradition of giving New Year's money has a long history, but children at that time did not receive much New Year's money, usually just three or five cents. Zheng, who loved him so much, would give him ten cents at a time.
Although the original owner was stingy by nature, he knew that this was the child's life-saving money and he couldn't touch it, so he let him keep it himself.
In the past, Mu Erpang was too lazy to get off the kang, and naturally too lazy to spend money. He has saved for ten years and has accumulated several hundred coins.
"Okay. Then you make new clothes for yourself." Chen Cui touched his head with tender eyes. Later, the old tailor asked her if she had any other requirements. Of course, they only make clothes here and cannot do embroidery work, but the specific color and style are based on the customer's requirements.
Chen Cui waved her hand and said with a smile: "Just ask him. He paid the money himself and he can decide for himself."
Having said that, Shen Cui was afraid that Mu Erpang would change his mind again, so she went to the tea stall across the street to wait for him.
Mu Erpang couldn't go back on his words now, so he let the tailor take his measurements and said sweetly, "Grandpa Tailor, please give me some more cloth and make it a little bigger. I want to wear it for many years. I will remember your kindness."
The old tailor has run his shop on Shuyuan Street for a long time, and he has quite a few customers coming and going.
But everyone knew that scholars were noble and their attitudes were mostly arrogant. Even those from the poorest families rarely got close to craftsmen like them.
A sincere smile appeared on his old face, and he agreed: "Okay, I'll give you more materials, and you won't make any money from this order."
Of course, this is just a polite remark. Saying that you don’t make any profit just means that you make less profit.
Mu Erpang listened and said, "Well...then don't bother. Just do what you want. Cutting cloth and making clothes is a craft. It's hard work and you have to make money."
This really made the old tailor laugh.
As the two of them were talking, a new guest came in.
The young scholar who came in first was about sixteen or seventeen years old, dressed in very luxurious clothes. He stepped aside to open the curtain and came in, holding someone's arm in his hand. He walked into the shop and said, "I've told you that your robe can't be mended anymore. The county exam is coming soon, and it's not good to wear such clothes to participate. I know you will not accept expensive clothes, so just stay here as a commoner here, old Ge. I'll pay the money first, and you can give it to me when you have more money."
The man he was holding declined, "I know Brother Wei means well, but the exam is about knowledge, not clothes. What's wrong with patching up patches?"
As they talked, the two of them walked into the store.
Mu Erpang's eyes lit up immediately and he shouted "Big Brother" in a crisp voice!
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