The night is already dark.
The lights were still on in the Cheng family courtyard. Cheng Zhao and Situ Man were sitting in the courtyard, and shopkeeper Yu was reporting on the situation in the Reading Pavilion.
Half a month ago, 5,000 copies of "Lihuayuan" were printed and put on the market. It was sold out within five days of being released. The bookseller priced it at 1 or 8 yuan for a single book, and 5,000 copies was 9,000 taels of silver. The Reading Pavilion drew Seventy percent of the profit is 6,300 taels of silver. The silver is divided into five equal parts and falls into the hands of Cheng Zhao, which is more than 1,200 taels.
"Sir, what the booksellers want to ask is whether they can print another 10,000 copies and put them on the market..." After shopkeeper Yu reported the accounts, he continued, "Isn't this the Sui'an who became the first female court official in the Dayu Dynasty? The Reading Pavilion was founded by people from Sui'an, and "Pear Blossom Marriage" was also a story thought up by people from Sui'an. If this book is sold outside the capital, it should be possible to make a lot of money..."
Cheng Zhao nodded: "There is no problem with reprinting, but we must pay attention to the fact that the paper of the books must be consistent with the first batch. We must not increase the price arbitrarily, and we must not damage the reputation of the Reading Pavilion..."
Situ Man picked up the manuscript in his hand: "The rough outline of Ergu's stories asked someone to add some details. According to the old rules, I first found someone to write out the complete stories, draw beautiful illustrations, and then copied them into ten copies. Try the effect in Reading Pavilion..."
While several people were discussing, there was a knock on the courtyard door.
The old woman who was sweeping the floor immediately opened the door and said with a smile, "Master Shen is here."
Shen Zhengfeng walked in angrily: "Brother Cheng, the godmother will leave for Dahe Village tomorrow morning. Let Cheng Ding go back with her."
Before Cheng Zhao could say anything, Mrs. Cheng, who was sitting in the yard picking up the soles of her shoes, suddenly raised her head: "She is thriving in the capital, why is she leaving suddenly?"
Although she has been living in the suburbs of Beijing, she also knows what happens in the capital. As soon as she, the second daughter, comes to the capital, she causes a lot of troubles. She was always worried before, but later she discovered that this daughter can always avert danger. Now, he has become a role model in the eyes of countless women, which is...a bit outrageous.
If she had such an achievement, she would definitely stay in the capital. Who would go back to that broken ravine...
"My godmother's business is done, so I have to go back naturally." Shen Zheng looked at Cheng Zhao, "Brother Cheng, have you dealt with all the business you had in Cheng Ding's name?"
Cheng Zhao nodded.
Because Cheng Ding belongs to his second aunt and will return to his second aunt sooner or later, so after getting married, he transferred all the business to his wife's name.
In fact, he doesn't have any big business. First, he invested in an iron ore factory with others, and second, he opened a literary and ink shop in the capital. The iron ore factory earned more than 400 taels of silver in three months, which was enough for him to do other things. The Wenmo Shop earns more than ten taels of silver a month, which is used to subsidize the family.
He said: "Since Second Aunt wants to go back, help me bring something back."
"Wait a minute, Zhao'er, how do you handle your business?" Sister-in-law Cheng came over and said with a frown, "For this profitable business, it's better to have it in the name of your own family, don't you think?"
When Cheng Zhao was about to speak, Situ Man smiled and said: "My husband has temporarily handed over the business to me. After my mother learns to write and calculate accounts, I will immediately let my mother take care of the business. So, my mother must seize the time to read more books." Practice your calligraphy more.”
When it comes to reading and writing, Mrs. Cheng loses all her energy. She feels that writing is more difficult than farming.
But if she couldn't learn it, and she couldn't even read the account books, how could Zhaoer leave the business to her?
She muttered: "Your father, that bastard, doesn't know what he is busy with every day. He comes to learn to write, and I learn to calculate accounts. I can learn it quickly. He is away from home every day and doesn't worry about anything. I How come you have such a man..."
Just as he was talking, the door to the courtyard was knocked open, and Brother Cheng stumbled in from the door, smelling of alcohol.
Sister-in-law Cheng immediately exploded: "Why do you drink like this? No, why do you smell so good? Where does the fragrance of powder come from..."
"You bitch, stay out of my business!" Brother Cheng pushed Sister Cheng away, "Bring me some more wine, two taels of pig ears, half a pound of beef, hurry up."
Old Mrs. Cheng couldn't help but scolded: "Can you eat such a precious thing as beef? You are really drunk and confused."
"Why can't I eat it? I'm Tanhualang's father!" Brother Cheng said with a drunken look on his face, "The first female court official today, Sui'an, is my sister. She was invited to the palace many times by the emperor and empress. Why can’t I eat beef? Half a pound is too little, so I’ll just get a pound!”
Cheng Zhao's brows furrowed tightly.
He knew that everyone in the family had some minor problems, but he didn't expect that his father's minor problems would turn into big problems after he arrived in the capital. It didn't matter if it caused trouble for him, but if it brought trouble to his second aunt, he would still How dare you go to see your second aunt!
Just as he was about to walk over, Situ Man pulled her sleeve: "For more than half a month, dad has gone out to drink every day. Those people are holding dad in his arms, so dad naturally becomes distracted. And... I'm listening to this People said that for the past three or four days, Dad has been drinking in Manxiangyuan every day..."
Manxiangyuan is a brothel in the suburbs of Beijing. It is a favorite place for many men.
Cheng Zhao's face suddenly turned pale.
But now is not the time to talk about this.
He took a deep breath and said, "Grandpa and Grandma, please take Dad back to your room to rest. I'll go to Second Aunt's place."
Situ Man didn't want to stay at home and wade in the muddy water, so he also went to say goodbye to Cheng Wanwan.
Cheng Zhao entered the yard with a small baggage and solemnly handed it to Cheng Wanwan: "Second aunt, here are three letters, one for Master Yu, one for the chief of Chengjia Village, and one for the former teacher. I am an old scholar who studies. In addition, I have five hundred taels of silver. One hundred taels of silver will be donated to Dahe Academy to buy books for the children. One hundred taels of silver will be given to the old scholar as pension money. The remaining three hundred taels of silver will be given to Patriarch Cheng. If there are children who are willing to study, they can use this money first, and I will send tuition fees back every year..."
Cheng Wanwan looked at him with approval. The whole Chengjia Village offered him up. He finally made some money. The first thing he did was to give back to the people in the whole village. Cheng Zhao was the best person in the village. Lucky thing.
She took the bundle and said, "Second aunt will definitely bring it to you."
Situ Man also took out a few purses from his sleeves: "When my husband-in-law and I got married, none of the younger brothers and sisters at home came. These are the greeting gifts prepared for the younger brothers and sisters, and these are for the second uncle, second aunt, third uncle and third aunt. Please ask my second aunt to help you bring this gift back."
Cheng Wanwan nodded: "If you still want to take anything back, just tell Xiaozheng, he will leave in about seven or eight days."
A few people talked for a while, and the sky became darker and darker. If they continued talking, the city gate would be closed, so Cheng Zhao and Situ Man had to say goodbye reluctantly.
That night, Cheng Wanwan didn't sleep well, thinking about many things in her mind.
She got up when the sky was slightly bright. Cheng Jia and Cheng Ding had prepared the carriage and were ready to set off at any time.
Shen Zheng and Zhao Sidan's eyes were full of reluctance, and they just sent her to the gate of the capital.
