The bookstore opposite is called Yaxin Bookstore. Xinyou heard it mentioned by Grandma Fang yesterday. However, Aunt Fang did not come today, and it was Xiaolian who followed Xinyou.
Xin You asked the coachman to pull the carriage to a stop farther away and asked Xiao Lian to inquire about the situation.
Not long after, Xiaolian came back, wiped her sweat and said, "It's because Yaxin Bookstore is selling Mr. Ping's new story book today. The quantity is limited, so many people came to grab it."
Xin You looked at the crowded crowd and said in a complicated tone: "It turns out that people in the capital love reading story books so much."
Xiaolian has lived in the capital for four years and is not surprised by this: "Yes, there are many literate people in the capital, and they like to read calligraphy books to pass the time in their free time. Even those who are illiterate also like to go to wine shops and teahouses to listen to Storytellers tell new stories..."
The little maid stopped talking and tugged on Xin You's sleeve: "Girl, look at whether that is the second young master!"
Xin You looked in the direction of Xiaolian's finger and saw two teenagers sneaking over, one of them was Duan Yunlang.
"Second Young Master actually came to buy story books during school time!" Xiao Lian was shocked.
What Xin You wanted to do was avoid Duan Yunlang to avoid anything else happening, so she squeezed through the crowd and walked into Qingsong Bookstore.
Compared with Yaxin Bookstore, which is crowded with people, Qingsong Bookstore is so deserted that it is sad. The shopkeeper is in a daze, the clerk is taking a nap, and they don't even realize that someone has come in.
Xiaolian coughed.
The clerk jumped up and blurted out: "Are they all crowded into our store?"
Xiaolian said crisply: "We girls are here to buy books."
"Did you go the wrong way——"
The shopkeeper stretched out his hand and grabbed the clerk behind him, showing an eager smile: "What book do you want to buy, girl?"
"Let me consider."
"Girl, look at it, girl, look at it as you like."
Xin You had sharp ears. When she reached the depths of the bookshelf, she heard the clerk whisper: "Shopkeeper, you smile so enthusiastically, don't scare away the girl."
"Go aside!"
There are rows of books on the shelves, and the unique smell of paper and ink lingers on the tip of the nose. The closer you go in, the stronger the smell of book ink becomes.
Xin You glanced at these books and picked up a book at random. It was a travel journal, quite thick, and the price was not cheap as you can imagine.
Xin You's purpose is not to buy a book, but to learn more about this bookstore. Buying this book will naturally make it easier to talk.
She walked out holding the book, but before she could say anything, someone rushed in and knelt in front of the shopkeeper.
It was a thin boy who looked to be twelve or thirteen years old. Although he was very emotional, he still remembered to control his voice: "Shopkeeper, please advance me some more wages. My mother has stopped taking medicine..."
The shopkeeper said angrily: "You've already paid half a year's salary in advance. Our bookstore is not a charity, so it's not over anymore, right?"
The young man kowtowed: "Please, I don't want to be without a mother..."
"Hurry up, there are still customers." The shopkeeper seemed to have a bad attitude, but he took out a handful of copper coins from his purse and stuffed it into the young man's hand.
The young man thanked him repeatedly, got up and ran away.
"Wait a minute." Xin You said.
The young man looked over blankly.
The shopkeeper hurriedly apologized: "Did you disturb the girl? This boy is ignorant, girl, don't argue with him——"
"Xiao Lian, give this little brother two taels of silver."
"Hey." Xiaolian responded without hesitation, walked up to the young man and put the broken silver into his hand.
The young man was completely dumbfounded and subconsciously looked at the shopkeeper.
The shopkeeper is not stupid. With these two taels of silver, this boy's mother might be saved, and he won't have to pay the salary in advance out of his own pocket.
"Girl is kind enough to give it to you, why don't you thank me soon!"
The young man woke up from a dream and knelt down to kowtow to Xin You.
"Go back and take care of your mother." Xin You said warmly.
She wasn't showing any kindness, it was just the boy's words "I don't want to be without a mother" that made her unable to sit idly by.
The young man took a deep look at Xin You, kowtowed again, got up and left in a hurry.
When the shopkeeper looked at Xin You again, his smile became more genuine. He talked about the boy's affairs: "The child's mother used to work in the bookstore, and she was getting along well. However, the illness made life difficult for the mother and son. They are also poor people. Mother and son came to Beijing to look for a man, but they have been looking for him for several years without finding him..."
Xinyou listened silently, nodding from time to time.
Maybe it was because he was idle, and with such a good attitude as a listener, the shopkeeper became more and more enthusiastic as he talked, and eventually Xin You even knew the name of the boy's father.
She started chatting naturally: "I see that there are many kinds of books in the store, why are there not many people entering the store?"
The waiter on the side looked at the sky silently.
This girl is indeed kind-hearted. There are not many people entering the store, but this girl is the only one.
When he mentioned this, the shopkeeper sighed, and his tone was filled with anger unconsciously: "If Mr. Ping An hadn't been robbed by them, why would this happen..."
The two bookstores are so close to each other, and books such as Classics and History are available in their own bookstore across the street. The key is to see which one can publish a book that is popular in the capital.
The storybooks written by Mr. Ping An were so popular that when people went to buy storybooks, they also bought other books. It is not surprising that Qingsong Bookstore was so crowded.
"If we can't find a good writer, the owner will change hands of the bookstore -" The shopkeeper was chatting too enthusiastically with the girl in front of him, and inadvertently revealed the difficult situation of the bookstore.
Pretending not to notice the shopkeeper's embarrassment after reacting, Xin You asked, "Doesn't it cost a lot of money to take over the bookstore?"
"Of course. Our bookstore not only sells books, but also has a printing shop and a large house behind it." At this point, the shopkeeper's eyes flashed with loneliness.
For him, Qingsong Bookstore is not just a place to make a living, it can be regarded as his home.
"Don't worry, shopkeeper, maybe the business will pick up soon." Xin You put the travel notes he took on the counter, "How much does this book cost?"
The shopkeeper slapped himself: "Look at my mouth, I can't stop talking and it's wasting your time. This book -"
After reading the travel notes clearly, the shopkeeper paused and had a strange look on his face.
Xin You asked in confusion: "Shopkeeper, is there something wrong with this book?"
"That's not true -" the shopkeeper hesitated, not knowing what to say.
At this moment, footsteps sounded at the door and someone walked in.
When Xin You saw the red dress, she raised her eyebrows unexpectedly.
It turned out to be the righteous man who came to help when the horse was frightened - He Qingxiao, the envoy of Jinlin Guard Town.
"My lord is here." The waiter greeted him respectfully, obviously knowing He Qingxiao's identity.
The shopkeeper also said hello hurriedly.
Facing the shopkeeper and waiters, He Qingxiao didn't look arrogant. He nodded gently and looked at Xin You.
Xin You clearly saw the surprise in the other party's eyes and bowed his knees generously: "I didn't expect to meet a righteous man here again."
He Qingxiao's eyes regained their composure and asked, "How is Miss Kou?"
