Chapter 28
As soon as the sky brightened, there were already many people standing in front of Haoranzhai. A closer look revealed that they were clearly divided into two groups. One group wore coarse cloth and looked like servants; the other group wore long robes and looked like scholars, but their clothes were simple, and some even had many patches on them.
The temperature difference in the northwest is extremely large. People are shivering in the winter mornings, so they have to rub their hands and stamp their feet to dispel the chill.
The sun gradually rose, and the shops on the street opened one by one. Diligent hawkers carried their loads and shouted along the street, and the clerk of Haoranzhai also opened the door of his study.
All of a sudden, everyone started to squeeze in.
"Let me in first, I was here first."
"My husband wants the Zheng edition of Shangshu."
"I came here first. I want a complete set of Pentateuch."
The waiter had no choice but to shout: "Don't push, those who want to buy books should line up on the left, and those who want to apply for copying should line up on the right."
Another waiter quickly came forward and asked everyone to start lining up. After a while, they finally got everyone to line up and started selling books in an orderly manner.
The clerk wiped the sweat from his forehead. Ever since all the businesses in the county started to produce paper, his study, as the largest bookstore in the county, was naturally chosen by County Magistrate Lin to sell paper. The owner followed the advice of County Magistrate Lin and organized a "promotional event." He also advertised in various bookstores that the study was selling paper books. The quantity was limited, so the early bird got the worm. As a result, his study was busy from morning to night every day.
Because the county government had taken the lead in using paper, which was more convenient to carry, for office work, and the teachers in the library also used paper books to teach, the scholars saw that the government and teachers were using them, and they also began to use paper books, and naturally came to Haoranzhai to buy books.
But there were too many people buying, so the quantity could only be limited every day. This was also the idea of Lin County Magistrate, who called it "hunger sales."
Most of the books sold at the beginning were copied by scholars, which gave rise to an industry - copyists.
Some scholars from poor families were short of money and could not afford to buy paper books, so County Magistrate Lin suggested that the owner of the study hire scholars who could write and had a certain level of cultural literacy to copy the books and pay them silver according to the number of books.
There were also scholars who were so poor that they had trouble buying pens and ink, so they could only be given pens and ink on credit, and the money would be deducted from their wages after they finished copying. This became a way for most poor children to make money.
Therefore, many people come to apply for the job every day.
The waiter invited the people in and thought to himself: Well, as expected of County Magistrate Lin, he has so many tricks.
"If you want to apply, please register your name and place of origin first, and don't push." the guy shouted.
When Lin Shuge came in, he happened to see a man dressed as a scholar standing outside Haoran Zhai, looking around. He looked reserved, and it was freezing cold in winter, but he was wearing only a single layer of clothes.
He took the initiative to ask, "Why don't you go in?"
The scholar was a little timid and whispered, "I heard that they are recruiting people to copy books, so I came to take a look." As he spoke, he pulled down the cuffs that exposed half of his wrists.
Lin Shuge said in a gentle voice: "They are recruiting people inside. You just need to write a few words and show the staff your understanding of the scriptures. Don't be afraid."
The scholar nodded and followed him in.
When the waiter saw that it was Lin Shuge, he immediately came over to greet him. Lin Shuge shook his head at him, and the waiter knew that he didn't want to say anything, so he tactfully said nothing.
Lin Shuge took the scholar to the waiter and said, "This gentleman is here to apply for a job. Please help him register."
The scholar looked embarrassed and hurriedly bowed to the waiter. The waiter quickly stopped him and said, "I don't deserve this. What is your name, where are you from, and what books have you read?"
The scholar answered one by one. The waiter took a pen and paper and asked him to write a few words. He touched the paper carefully, then picked up the pen and wrote a few big words. His handwriting was neat and his strokes were elegant and beautiful. The waiter praised him a few words and his face turned red.
"Okay, sir, just sign and seal the contract. This is the deposit. I will pay you for the whole book after you have copied the shop and inspected it."
The scholar was overjoyed and thanked him quickly. The clerk had seen this kind of situation many times in the past few days, so he sighed and gave him a few instructions, telling him to go back and copy it carefully, not to make too many erasures or mistakes, and not to miss the deadline.
The scholar nodded repeatedly, took the paper and pen carefully, turned around to look for the person who had just brought him in, but found that he had disappeared.
Lin Shuge entered the inner hall, where a man was sitting. He had a delicate face and a pair of peach blossom eyes. There was a smile on the corner of his mouth, and he was sipping tea leisurely.
"Boss Xu seems to be in a good mood." Lin Shuge said with a smile.
This person is the elusive boss of Haoranzhai. Lin Shuge never expected that the person who runs such a large study so successfully is so young.
"Oh, my beauty, oh no, I'm County Magistrate Lin, I'm here to pay my respects." Xu Yu stood up and bowed towards Lin Shuge.
Lin Shuge's mouth twitched, "Boss Xu, there's no need to be so polite."
Lin Shuge never expected that he would have this style of painting.
"Thanks to Magistrate Tolin, my study can be further improved."
County Magistrate Lin thought of the scholar he met by chance at the door, "Boss Xu is kindhearted..."
"Stop, stop flattering me. You said that last time just to get me to join you. What's the matter this time?" Xu Yu poured him a cup of tea and interrupted him.
Lin Shuge put the cup on the table and said, "That's good. I see many poor students come to your place to copy books to make money. These scholars have studied for many years and have achieved academic success, but I think there are still many poor students who cannot afford to buy books."
"I thought that the study could rent out books and collect rent, which would not only make some money, but also be a good deed for these poor children."
This can be considered as a library, but the study belongs to Boss Xu. Otherwise, if he forced people to borrow books for free, he could charge a reasonable amount of money and it wouldn't be a loss.
Xu Yu lowered his head and thought.
"You can make three rules with the borrower, specify the conditions for borrowing books, and pay double compensation for damage or loss. The county government will help you pursue the case."
Xu Yu's mind was slightly moved.
"The paper mill produced a batch of patterned paper a few days ago, which can be made into bookmark cards for sale. I can tell the paper mill to let the study sell them first."
"Mr. Lin is so polite. How can such a small matter embarrass you? I agree." Xu Yu had a smile between his brows, blinked his peach blossom eyes, and threw a coquettish glance at Lin Shuge.
Unfortunately, Lin Shuge didn't realize it at all. "Then it's settled."
He came here to see how the new books were selling. Although there were some minor issues, they had been resolved. The county government still had things to deal with, so he stood up and said, "The county government is busy, so I won't bother you anymore. Goodbye."
Xu Yu bowed to him and said, "Send off County Magistrate Lin."
As soon as Lin Shuge returned to the county government office, Zhou Yuan sent someone to invite him over. He followed the servants to the Zhou family's farm.
There are many houses in Zhuangzi, and several looms are placed inside. Weavers are weaving cashmere into cloth. Some weavers are so skillful that they can even weave twill jacquard and plain jacquard.
These cashmere are made from the softest hair of sheep, so they are more precious than wool. The fabrics made from them are also delicate, soft and very warm.
Zhou Yuan accompanied Lin Shuge on the tour. "Lin County Magistrate, this batch of cashmere is of good quality," he motioned Lin Shuge to touch it, "It's a pity that a sheep can't produce much cashmere."
Cashmere is made from the softest wool of goats. After being woven, it is more valuable than gold. These can only be sold as high-end luxury goods and are naturally not sold to ordinary people. After all, it is called "soft gold".
Lin Shuge touched the soft cashmere and said, "Boss Zhou can come up with some new ideas, such as making cashmere into fur collar waistcoats, or adding cashmere to cape collars and cotton coat cuffs, which will keep you warm and look good."
Cashmere shawls were all the rage throughout Europe at the time. In Lin Shuge's time, one could see photos of European aristocrats and royal families wearing cashmere shawls. French Emperor Napoleon was a loyal fan of cashmere shawls. After he gave one to his wife, it became a fashionable luxury item among wealthy ladies.
Zhou Yuan was overwhelmed with emotion when he heard this. "That's great. I'll get someone to do it right away."
Lin Shuge looked at the steady and slightly lively figure of Zhou Dalang and couldn't help but smile.
"Lin County Magistrate?"
Lin Shuge turned around and saw the woman he met at the paper mill last time.
"It really is County Magistrate Lin. Your concubine Li pays her respects to County Magistrate Lin. I thought from afar that you looked like me. I didn't expect it to be the real thing." Li Wan saluted.
"Madam Li, there is no need to be so polite. I haven't seen you for a long time. You look so radiant." The last time I saw Li Wan, she was still wearing cloth and dressed like an ordinary woman. But today, she looks energetic and dressed radiantly.
Li Wan raised her lips and smiled, "That day, after listening to County Magistrate Lin's words, I took a batch of wool home to weave clothes. Because I was quite quick, I was rewarded by the master for weaving a few pieces. The master also saw that I was skillful, so he asked me to come here to work as a weaver."
Unexpectedly, she could earn more here. The money she and her sisters earned from weaving a piece of cloth was enough to feed the whole family for several months.
"I will always remember your kindness, sir." After receiving the wool that day, she taught all the needlework techniques to the kind ladies in the village.
These ladies earned money by knitting sweaters in their spare time, which improved their family's life. Some ladies with bad tempers no longer had to endure the anger of their families. Their families would provide for them because they could earn money and no one dared to scold them again.
As for those gentle ladies with gentle temperaments, they were spared from beatings and scoldings because they earned a lot of money.
She was a little embarrassed. "I have nothing to repay you. This pair of hand guards was knitted by my sisters together. The lining is made of fine cashmere. I hope you will accept it."
After the hand guard was made, she actually kept wearing it, hoping that County Magistrate Lin would come over here. Sure enough, he came.
Lin Shuge looked at the exquisitely embroidered hand guards and did not expect these women to be so skillful. They had already knitted the gloves and even put cashmere inside. They were really smart.
"Madam Li, you don't have to be polite. These are what I should do. I cannot accept this hand guard. But Madam Li, since you have this skill, once you have saved enough capital, you might as well open a shop to sell it. This will save you a lot of hard work." Lin Shuge advised.
"I'm afraid..." Li Wan looked at Lin Shuge, her eyes filled with some expectation and some uneasiness.
"What are you afraid of? Madam Li is so skilled, are you afraid that the things she weaves won't be sold?" Lin Shuge consoled her with a smile.
"Then I will obey you, sir."
Lin Shuge gave her a soothing smile, his eyes clear and full of approval, "Then I wish Madam Li a prosperous business and all her wishes come true."
He said goodbye to Li Wan.
Li Wan held the soft hand guard in her hand, and her heart could not calm down for a long time.
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