Chapter 266

The books in the bookcase are new and old, some are hardcover, which are worth a lot of money at first glance, and some are thread-bound, which looks a little rough. Most of them are transcribed copies. Generally, it is not sure that the book will be a good seller. The bookstore boss always asks someone to transcribe it, because if it is opened, thousands of copies will be printed.

Zhao'er was familiar with the boss, and greeted her with a smile as soon as she entered the door. The strange thing was that the boss recognized her, and when he saw her, he smiled and asked her if she came to buy paper for her brother.

Bringing this up is a bit old.

At the beginning, Zhao'er felt sorry for Xue Tingxiang, so she saved some money to buy paper for him to practice calligraphy. Who would have thought that this paper was much more expensive than she imagined. Even the worst yellow bamboo paper costs 40 Wen a knife, but that day Zhaoer collected all the money on his body, but only 30 Wen.

In order to get the boss to sell the paper to her at a lower price, Zhao'er worked with the boss for a long time. He even made up the pretense that he had a hard-working and studious younger brother, but unfortunately his parents died and his family was poor, so the boss agreed to sell it to her cheaply. Later, she came to buy it a few times, all at the previous price, but she became acquainted with Boss Chen.

Boss Chen praised her for her noble character, earning hard money, but still supporting her younger brother's education. Usually, when she comes to buy paper, she almost always buys half and gives half away.

Normally, Zhao'er would accept this kind of talk with a cheeky face, but today with Xue Tingxiang around, she was inevitably a little embarrassed, for fear that Boss Chen would slip up and make the little man look down on her for lying.

Zhao'er has suffered, so she knows the skills of survival, but the little man doesn't, especially the scholar is very pedantic, so every time she encounters such a situation where the two people's ideas conflict, she will always subconsciously go away. Avoid these.

Within a day, two people said that they were his younger brothers, which made Xue Tingxiang very unhappy. Naturally, he didn't notice Zhao'er's hidden thoughts. When he came back to his senses, Zhao'er had already talked with the boss, and even showed him the copy of "Hundred Surnames" that he had copied overnight.

"This is your brother? He looks handsome, but a little thinner." Boss Chen is a middle-aged man in his forties, with a goatee and elegant body. Wearing a scholar's shirt, he doesn't look like a business boss, but a scholar.

"He was sick for a while a while ago, and he got better recently."

"No wonder I haven't seen you here for a long time." While talking, Boss Chen took the manuscript that Zhao'er handed over, whether it was bound or paper quality, it was very poor.

He knew in his heart that this kind of peasant boy could not write very good characters, but he admired this young man named Zhao'er, so he planned not to criticize too much even if he really did not do well, just say some mild words and refuse it. up.

If the level is not bad and the words can still be read, it is not impossible to give him some casual work, just as a help.

But when Boss Chen saw the writing on the yellow bamboo paper, he was still taken aback.

"He wrote this word?" Boss Chen looked at Xue Tingxiang in surprise, and went to flip through the manuscript in his hand.

His expression was so weird that Zhao'er had a bad feeling in his heart. She couldn't help wondering if the little man's handwriting was not good, after all, no one had ever praised the little man's handwriting, even Xue Qingshan said that his handwriting was like a spring worm and autumn snake.

Although Zhao'er doesn't know what spring worms and autumn snakes are, she understands the sad look on the little man's face, and she knows it means poor writing.

But she didn't think it was the little man's fault. He even had to pick and use the paper that could practice calligraphy. Can he write well? It was that time that she lost her temper, collected vegetables and sold them in the town, and saved a sum of money to buy Xue Tingxiang's first piece of paper in her life.

It was a whole knife, not a few pieces given as a charity from Xue Qingshan or Xue Juncai.

Zhao'er's head felt cold for a while, and she couldn't help wondering if she was too blind to the little man at ordinary times, or if she flattered her too much. She was not afraid of anything else, but she was afraid that if Boss Chen said something unpleasant later, the little man would not be able to stand the blow.

Thinking of this, she hurriedly turned her back and made a gesture to Boss Chen, leading him aside, then said to him in a low voice: "Uncle Chen, if my younger brother's handwriting is really bad, can you..."

"Can you do something?" Immediately, Boss Chen understood and said with a smile: "You kid too, even if you have a heart of love and affection, you should not deceive him, but point out his shortcomings, so that he will to make progress.”

His voice was a bit loud, Xue Tingxiang over there must have heard it, Zhao'er blushed, but Na Na didn't know what to say.

Boss Chen said again: "But your brother's handwriting is really good, he must be a famous teacher."

He walked up to Xue Tingxiang in a few steps, and saluted with cupped fists: "I don't know who my little friend is your teacher?" He said hesitantly in his eyes, because the poor boy in front of him, who was dressed in coarse cloth and short brown, really didn't seem to be able to learn from anyone. Famous teachers.

Just his words...

Since Boss Chen runs a book shop, he is either a hobby or a ancestral business. In fact, Boss Chen has both, which can be regarded as the origin of family education. He also passed the exam several times when he was young, but he stopped at being a scholar. However, he was not interested in being an official, so he turned around and took care of his ancestral business. It is also a great thing in life to meet a few literary friends, play chess, drink tea, taste calligraphy and painting together.

From his point of view, although this son's handwriting is immature, he already has a strong character.

We must know that the shape is easy to get, but the spirit is hard to find. Master Yan and Master Liu have always been collectively called "Yan Jin Liu Gu", which is enough to show the characteristics of Yan body. However, Xue Tingxiang's calligraphy has already possessed its fundamentals. As long as it does not go astray, in time, he will definitely be a great calligrapher of a generation.

How did he know that Xue Tingxiang deliberately hid the edge of his pen in order to hide himself, and it took most of the night to finish copying the book that could have been copied in half an hour at most. Otherwise, if the word is taken out, Boss Chen will definitely think it is someone's calligraphy.

Just when Boss Chen was thinking about it, Xue Tingxiang had already answered: "I don't have a teacher."

"Just copying?"

"I've been to "Yan Qinli Monument" before."

Xue Tingxiang didn't lie, he did only copy "Yan Qinli Monument", this set of copybooks is Xue Qingshan's favorite treasure, and he never let people touch it. And the reason why he was lucky enough to see and touch it once was that Xue Jun, who was still young at that time, was shown off in front of him.

Because of this incident, he was extremely impressed with "Yan Qinli Monument", and even became obsessed with it. Later, after some money at home, Zhao'er bought a set with him, and the first font he learned was Yanti.

"Just came across "Yan Qin Li Monument"?"

Xue Tingxiang nodded.

Boss Chen's eyes became brighter, and he sighed after a long time: "Perhaps you have a talent in this field that is difficult for others to surpass. I hope you practice hard and don't slack off. That's all, let's talk about business. Your handwriting is very good. In my opinion It's passed here."

He walked inside the counter, took a book and handed it to Xue Tingxiang.

"I have a copy of "University Chapters and Sentences" here. You can take it back and try it out. I will provide the pen and ink. After copying, if the finished product is not inferior to the standard of this book, I will pay you a tael of silver."

"One tael of silver? Uncle Chen, isn't that too much?" Zhao'er asked in surprise.

Uncle Chen laughed: "Do you know how many characters are in this book? And do you know how much money I will resell this book for?"

After finishing speaking, he continued to say to Xue Tingxiang: "It is reasonable to say that it is to be copied in my book shop. If you take the book back and copy it, you need to pay some pledged money or things. I know your brother well, so forget it." Well, how long do you think it will take to finish copying?"

Xue Tingxiang hesitated for a moment, and said: "Since Boss Chen has rules here, how about the boy copying here? I just hope that Boss Chen will be more flexible. Can you let the boy read a few books here in his spare time?"

Boss Chen was taken aback for a moment, and then he understood. He took a deep look at this thin but neither humble nor overbearing boy.

"Can!"

"Then thank you Boss Chen first, don't worry, the boy will definitely not damage the books here."

Zhao'er kept silent until the end of the conversation, and then pulled Xue Tingxiang aside to speak.

"Do you really want to copy books here? It would be nice to take it home. If you are afraid that Boss Chen won't allow it, I still have some money to pledge."

"You don't think this is a good place."

Xue Tingxiang looked back at the room full of books, he himself had only read a limited number of books, and in the memory of 'Xue Tingxiang', many memories about this aspect were blurred.

But life is his, and he wants to move forward step by step. It doesn't mean that he has a dream, and he will definitely be the chief assistant in the future, and he will definitely be able to pass the Jinshi examination. After all, even Xue Tingxiang in the dream had to put in a lot of hard work and go through many detours before he could reach the first rank of official residence step by step.

Of course Zhao'er understood what he meant, but she was very worried about suddenly leaving the little man outside alone. She was thinking about finding an excuse to stay here with him, but Boss Chen said from the side: "Okay, you don't have to worry about your brother, can you lose it with me? You don't have to sell vegetables to work today? Hurry up. "

In the eyes of Boss Chen, Zhao'er is a hard-working brother who supports his younger brother by selling vegetables in the town.

"Uncle Chen, I'm leaving now."

She hurriedly took out a dozen or so copper coins from her pocket and handed them to Xue Tingxiang: "I should come to find you for lunch at noon, if not, you can buy it yourself, right here..."

"Copy books here, and you can have a light meal at noon." Boss Chen interrupted again.

Zhao'er was still rambling: "You still have the money, you can buy whatever you want, and I will pick you up in the afternoon."

"You'd better pick up your work and finish it first, don't worry your brother won't lose it."

This Uncle Chen!

Zhao'er couldn't go on talking anymore, and ran out of the bookstore almost in despair.

After the person had left, Boss Chen teased with a smile: "Your brother treats you very well."

Xue Tingxiang smirked, "It's pretty good, like a little hen who doesn't care about her chicks. For some reason, he actually thought of this sentence.

After that, under the guidance of the shop assistant, he went to a room behind the shop.

The layout of this room is simple, but it is elegant. It can be seen that Boss Chen is an elegant person. The best thing about this house is that there is a large window facing the outside yard, and there is a set of tables and chairs, which is completely different from Xue Tingxiang's imagination of being hidden in a dark room without light.

The clerk even brought a basin of water for him to wash his hands, prepared pens, ink, paper and inkstone, etc., and said he could call him if he had anything to do, so he went down.

Xue Tingxiang came to the water basin, dipped his hands in the water, rubbed them gently a few times, and wiped them dry with a cloth towel beside him, before going to the desk and sitting down.

He grinds the ink first. Grinding ink can well adjust people's emotions and achieve a 'quiet' state.

After the ink was polished, his mind was empty at this moment. He rolled up his sleeves to write, and his hands were empty, only to realize that he was wearing a short brown at this time, where there were no sleeves, so naturally he was not afraid of staining the sleeves.

All this was just for a moment, he didn't care about it, and wrote quietly.

But Boss Chen, who was standing outside the door, was a little skeptical, and couldn't help but wonder if this son was from a famous family, but it's a pity that his family has fallen, rather than a poor kid. His words and deeds, and even his demeanor, don't look like those from a poor family at all.

After thinking for a while, but unable to figure out why, Boss Chen shook his head and went back to the front.

The mule named Daqing shook its head and snorted, which seemed to mean that if he dared to deduct my rations, I would slow down and let him carry it by himself.

Zhao'er laughed loudly, pointed at Daqing and said, "Look, even Daqing protested."

Jiang Wu looked sideways at the girl who was smiling wantonly, with a strange gleam in her eyes. Fortunately, Daqing knew the way and was docile, otherwise he would have ordered all three people in the car into the ditch beside the road.

Seeing this scene, Xue Tingxiang's face was as dark as the bottom of a pot.

He was both annoyed and angry, he actually forgot about Jiang Wu.

In that dream, Jiang Wu has been coveting Zhao'er.

Jiang Wu was two years older than Zhao'er, but he never married. If Zhao'er hadn't been his child bride-in-law, the Jiang family would have come to propose marriage a long time ago.

Even so, Jiang Wu never gave up, and once even approached him and told him that he wanted to marry Zhao'er, telling him not to be so selfish, and letting Zhao'er go free. She also said that she and Zhao'er would support him to study together and treat him like a younger brother, that's how he knew about it.

Shocked and annoyed, he also remembered Zhao'er's reluctance to marry him. He mistakenly thought that Zhao'er had an affair with Jiang Wu, so he borrowed his parents' orders to forcefully marry her. Later, by chance, Only then did he realize that he had wronged her.

This matter has always been a scar between the two, even though it was never mentioned again, there is a gap between them. Afterwards, he was busy starting his career, while Zhao'er was busy running business. The two met only once in a long time, and even when they met, they seldom talked again until he went to Beijing to rush for the exam after winning the exam.

The he in the dream once thought after Zhao'er died, if he hadn't been so despicable back then and forced Zhao'er by his parents' orders, Zhao'er wouldn't have died.

But this kind of thought is like a superficial thought, it just passed by in a flash. At this time, thinking about it, he is probably despicable in his bones. Even if he is not the Xue Tingxiang in his dream, he never thought of letting him go.

She was supposed to be his, and when he still half understood, someone would always point to her and say, this is his future wife, isn't it?

"Brother Jiang Wu, you'd better look at some roads, this road is uneven, don't lead us all into a ditch."

Xue Tingxiang's voice successfully interrupted the chatting and laughing of Jiang Wu and Zhao'er, as if a very ignorant person suddenly appeared, making the already warm atmosphere suddenly cool down.

Zhao'er laughed dryly: "Look at me, I was so focused on talking to you about the business that I forgot that you were still driving the car. Fortunately, Daqing is smart, otherwise I would have fallen."

Da Qing called out, looking very complacent.

Jiang Wu looked back subconsciously, just in time to meet the young man's dark eyes. Those eyes made him inexplicably guilty, but soon he regained his confidence.

He knew that the dogs of the Xue family didn't like to recruit children, and he also knew that the second bedroom couple of the Xue family originally recruited children as daughters, not child brides. The child bride-in-law was only passed on from the villagers to the villagers, and it became true because of the entrustment of the second wife of the Xue family at the end of their lives.

Not only that, but he also knew that Zhao'er only regarded the other party as a younger brother, and had no intention of marrying the other party.

The young man was undoubtedly thin and thin, although he was handsome, there was still a bit of childishness on his face. Such a young man made the strong and powerful Jiang Wu inexplicably feel condescending. He smiled heartily and said indifferently: "Don't be afraid, you dog, Brother Jiang Wu drives the car every day, and you can walk back with your eyes closed."

Xue Tingxiang did not speak, but lowered his head with the corners of his lips pursed.

Seeing this, Zhao'er immediately understood whether the title Gouzi made the little man feel uncomfortable again. But facing Jiang Wu, she couldn't show a cold face, she could only smile and say: "Brother Jiang Wu, let me tell you that the dog has a name, it's called Tingxiang, Xue Tingxiang."

"It's an elegant name."

"Yeah, so don't call me Gouzi Gouzi in the future, it's weird."

While speaking, the car had arrived at Yuqing Village.

Jiang Wu inertially circled to the end of the village before stopping, Zhao'er and Xue Tingxiang got out of the car.

"When will the business be done? Tell me a time, and I will pick you up when the time comes."

"Aren't you going to be busy in the town tomorrow, and those clothes have to be tidied up. When I'm ready, I'll go to your house and give you a letter."

Zhao'er also thought that two days later would be the day when Xue Tingxiang and Xue Juncai competed, and she would not be in the mood to do business until this matter was over.

"OK."

*

Now that the matter was settled, they said goodbye to each other.

Jiang Wu drove the car home, while Zhao'er and Xue Tingxiang went home together.

Xue Tingxiang didn't say anything along the way, but just walked silently.

Zhao'er glanced at him: "What's the matter? You seem a little unhappy. Did Brother Jiang Wu call you angry just now? He didn't know you were famous. I told him that he would never That's what it's called."

He suppressed the jealousy in his heart, and said in a muffled voice, "Why do you know him so well?"

"Brother Jiang Wu, we've known each other since we were young. You forgot that Heizi was brought back by his dog after he gave birth to a cub. Brother Jiang Wu is a very nice person and has helped me a lot."

Xue Tingxiang didn't speak, but stopped.

Zhao'er walked forward for a while, only to realize that he hadn't followed.

She came back in a few steps, and asked suspiciously: "What's wrong with you, why are you so weird?"

He held his breath: "Don't forget, you are a man."

Zhao'er was taken aback for a moment, then looked at him and laughed. But he just smiled and didn't speak, which made Xue Tingxiang angry and annoyed.

Don't think about it, she must have thought of something good.

Seeing his fair face flushed with anger, Zhao'er hurriedly said: "Okay, don't be angry, I know I have a man."

There was a teasing taste in her voice, knowing that she was coaxing him, his heart still jumped several times.

With the experience in the dream, Xue Tingxiang knew that this was not the time to be awkward, besides, there was Jiang Wu watching over him, so he didn't want to repeat the experience in the dream again.

He couldn't help but reiterated: "I'm also doing it for your own good, lest people in the village see and make irresponsible remarks." He didn't dare to look at her, but stared at the ground beside him, with some confidence in his heart. Distracted.

Seeing him confessing himself like an adult, with a fair face and a slightly childish face, I don't know how to trick him and want to rub his head.

She did the same, and said at the same time: "Well, well, you are right, I will listen to you."

He suddenly became more angry, and a sense of powerlessness and discouragement came to his heart.

Why does she always treat herself like a child!

*

Early the next morning, Zhao'er and Xue Tingxiang went out.

When I arrived, Dongliju had just opened, Xue Tingxiang went to the clean room yesterday to continue copying books, but Zhao'er went to the yard behind the shop.

She discussed with Boss Chen and borrowed this place to pack her clothes. Zhao'er had seen those clothes before, they were all old clothes, since she wanted to make money, she couldn't afford to sell them poorly, so she came here today mainly to do this job.

She borrowed the bamboo mat used for drying books from the shop, poured out the big bag of clothes, first sorted them into men's and women's styles, and then divided them into several piles according to texture and thickness, and then began to check the clothes one by one for damage. The place.

If there was a hole somewhere, she would sew it up with the needle and thread she brought. Zhao'er's needlework is pretty good, but she can't do embroidery or something, and she's fine with sewing and making clothes.

She managed to clean up a pile, and seeing that the sun was shining outside, she went to fetch water from the well in the courtyard. There is a pulley in the well, so it is very convenient to fetch water. Zhao'er fetched a basin of water, soaked the clothes in the big wooden basin, wiped the soap locust water and scrubbed it.

After washing and rinsing, the rice soup in the kitchen is also ready.

Although Boss Chen and the others don't cook in the shop, they always need a place to boil water for tea and so on, so the shop also turned on the fire, and Zhao'er borrowed the stove to cook a big pot of rice soup.

She brought out the boiled rice soup, poured it into the wooden basin, and added some water into it, it is most suitable if it is slightly hot. Fang poured all the washed clothes into it and kept stirring with a stick.

Stir well, put half a cup of tea, pick up the clothes from the wooden basin, fetch water and rinse again.

This is the so-called starched clothes. The clothes that have been washed are sticky and sticky. As long as they don't fade, they look like new ones. Some people who are fastidious will iron it with an iron, but since there is no such condition, Zhao'er does not intend to do so.

During this period, Boss Chen came in. Seeing that Zhao'er was in full swing, he pointed to the various clothes hanging out in the yard and said with a smile, "It's good for you, you take my place as your own. You make it look like a laundry room."