Chapter 14: Singing the Same Song
Jiang Hongyu didn't expect Ye Mingzhu to be so pessimistic about the imperial examination: "You let Yun'an study with me just so he can learn to read?"
"Of course," Ye Mingzhu said with a look that said, "You're right." "There are too few scholars here. There are only a few scholars in a county, let alone a town. The imperial examination is too difficult!"
Jiang Hongyu opened his mouth and then closed it helplessly. He couldn't even take the imperial examination himself, so how could he persuade others?
Ye Mingzhu's attitude reflects the attitude of the general public. It is not that people do not want to learn, but it is too difficult. There are no good teachers, no learning environment, and not enough money at home. It is too difficult to pass the examination to become a scholar.
The two of them walked on the road, both silent for a while.
It wasn't until they arrived at the bookstore that Jiang Hongyu perked up: "The paper and pens in this Wenbo bookstore are all good. Let's buy some here."
The waiter at the door of the bookstore immediately responded, "You are right, sir. We have pens, inkstones, paper, and inkstones in our shop. What would you like to order?"
Ye Mingzhu just said she wanted to take a look first, and the waiter immediately took her inside enthusiastically. She glanced at Jiang Hongyu.
Jiang Hongyu shook his head: "I won't go in. I'll look at some enlightenment books and choose one for Yun'an."
Only then did Ye Mingzhu walk inside.
The waiter observed Ye Mingzhu's expression and said, "Miss, are you looking to buy some paper and pens for your child who is just starting to learn to write? We have some paper and pens that are perfect for children who are just learning to write."
Ye Mingzhu nodded, and the waiter immediately enthusiastically introduced various types of paper and brushes to her. She listened very carefully, but only nodded occasionally and did not express any opinions.
It was not until the waiter introduced the paper and brushes to her that she chose a brush and a piece of paper suitable for beginners.
The waiter immediately picked up the paper and pen she had chosen and said, "Miss, please follow me to the door to settle the bill."
Ye Mingzhu looked around and said, "Everything in our store is pretty good, except for the paper. Is there anything a little worse?"
The waiter's eyes were filled with surprise: "How much worse?"
Ye Mingzhu nodded. She had just looked at the papers and they were indeed suitable for beginners. However, she would be drawing frequently in the future, so it would be best if she could buy some high-quality and inexpensive paper.
The waiter then whispered, "We have some paper in our store that's gotten damp and has some yellow stains on it. It's not very useful."
Ye Mingzhu was delighted. Writing with a brush on damp paper would easily smudge, but writing with charcoal would be fine. She was just drawing anyway, so such cheap paper was most suitable for her.
"Wet paper? I wonder how much it costs?"
"Each piece of paper is thirty cents, and you have to buy at least five pieces."
Ye Mingzhu calculated silently that each cut of paper was 100 sheets, which meant that she had to buy at least 150 coins of paper, which would last for a long time.
Ye Mingzhu looked hesitant: "Isn't that too much? I don't have that much money on hand."
The waiter initially thought the other party was just asking casually, but he didn't expect the other party to be truly interested and was just worried about not having enough money. He immediately said enthusiastically, "Let me calculate the price of the pen and paper you've chosen."
"It would be best if it were cheaper so I could buy more." Ye Mingzhu whispered clearly, and the waiter heard it clearly.
The waiter took all the things to the door and whispered a few words to the shopkeeper at the door. The shopkeeper took the abacus and counted: "The brush is one hundred coins, a piece of paper is eighty coins, plus five pieces of waste paper, a total of three hundred and thirty coins."
Jiang Hongyu frowned when he saw that the paper the waiter placed on the top had turned yellow. Such paper was no longer suitable for writing, as ink would easily smudge if it dripped onto it.
"Mingzhu, this kind of paper is no longer suitable for writing." Jiang Hongyu thought that the waiter had fooled Ye Mingzhu and hurried to stop him.
Ye Mingzhu knew that Jiang Hongyu meant well, but she bought the paper for drawing, so the impact was not that big, mainly because it was cheap.
But she didn't know how to say this, and she hesitated for a moment.
The waiter was a little anxious. These damp papers were difficult to sell. Finally a buyer came, and he must not let him go.
"Although these papers are damp, it doesn't affect their use. They used to cost 120 wen each, but now they're only 30 wen each, which is quite a bargain." The waiter looked at the two men and said, "Since you bought a lot, I'll give you half a wen each."
Jiang Hongyu shook his head: "No matter how expensive it was before, the paper is not easy to use if it gets damp."
Ye Mingzhu raised her eyebrows and looked at the expressions of the two people without saying anything.
With Jiang Hongyu's help, the price of paper will probably be even cheaper.
Sure enough, the waiter pursed his lips, bit his back teeth and said, "I'll give you an extra piece of paper."
"Deal." Ye Mingzhu smiled immediately and took out a copper coin from her purse and handed it to the waiter.
Judging from the waiter's expression, this should be the final price.
When Jiang Hongyu saw Ye Mingzhu giving him money, he reminded her again that such paper was not easy to use, especially for beginners, as they could not practice calligraphy with such paper.
After the two of them had already left the bookstore, Ye Mingzhu said, "I didn't buy this paper just to practice calligraphy. I have other uses for it, so it won't be wasted."
Jiang Hongyu was relieved and took the things from Ye Mingzhu's hand.
"Let's go buy fabric now and then buy cakes later."
Ye Mingzhu came to the town less often and nodded in agreement to Jiang Hongyu's arrangement.
Yuanshan Village belongs to Pinggu Town. There is a sea near Pinggu Town. Most villagers make a living by fishing and pearling. Fishing boats often dock here, and there is also a pier. It is considered a relatively wealthy village.
There are several cloth shops and cloth stores in the town, but as ordinary people, everyone goes to the cloth shop on West Street.
Jinxiufang is quite famous in West Street. It has a wide variety of fabrics and the prices are very favorable.
A farmer's family only needs one piece of cloth to make one piece of clothing, but as long as you enter his store, no matter how much you buy, the clerk's attitude is very good.
As soon as Ye Mingzhu and Jiang Hongyu entered the door, a woman came to greet them.
Jiang Hongyu asked the other party to take out the red cloth for a look. The woman looked at the two of them and said, "You two are getting married, and you are planning to buy fabric for your wedding dress, right?"
Ye Mingzhu pursed her lips, smiled and nodded.
The woman asked the two men to go inside and said with a smile, "How long will it take for you two to get married? This young man looks very handsome and the girl is so beautiful. You two are really a perfect match."
"Besides wedding gowns, what other colors of fabrics do you need? We just got a shipment of brightly colored fine cotton two days ago, which is perfect for young girls and brides."
"Let's take a look first." Ye Mingzhu did not refuse. The clothes in her house were a little small, and Yun'an's clothes didn't fit her anymore. Families with the means needed to make clothes for her mother-in-law and husband after getting married.
When the woman heard this, her smile became even brighter and she displayed all the new fabrics in the store.
Ye Mingzhu touched the fabric and found it was soft and came in many colors. She picked out four colors directly: the crescent white one could be used for underwear, the sky blue one for Jiang Hongyu, the gray-blue one for Ye Yunan, and the purple one for Aunt Jiang.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
