Zhang Aotian ate happily.
Despite Aunt Yang's efforts, she still felt uncomfortable and did not want to live with her stepfather and wanted to try to live alone.
In this way, the Ma family's ancestral home regained its popularity.
After cleaning up the inside and outside of the house, Ma Liu thought that his shop was in such a good location, it would be better to just sell something than to sit idle.
Otherwise, it would always be empty, and unsuspecting neighbors would think that the Ma family was dead.
Besides, he would have to go back to the Piping Department sooner or later. It would be wrong to leave Zhang Aotian alone, give money to the child, and raise him directly.
After thinking for a night, Ma Liu decided to let Zhang Aotian be self-reliant.
But you must not become a pig butcher to avoid being missed by Lei Peng.
"Master Liu, why did you buy so many books?"
Zhang Aotian looked at the books piled up in the butcher shop. There were all kinds of books in a mess, but they didn't look like the ones for him. The child was a little confused.
Ma Liu said:
"In a few days, I'll have someone build some bookcases. From now on, the butcher shop will pick up plaques and become a bookshop. You will be the shopkeeper."
"Bookstore?"
Zhang Aotian was stunned.
Caishikou is not an elegant place. Most of the shops along the street sell vegetables and meat. There are also shops for pedicures, haircuts, body stitching, and tailoring. They are all popular among the lower classes. Most of the people who come here to buy things are illiterate.
It is unreasonable to open a bookstore in a busy city and open the most luxurious consumer goods in the vegetable market. No matter how you look at it, it looks like a swan is put in the pot of steaming tortoise.
"Master Liu, can this make money?"
Zhang Aotian didn't believe it.
"Every point you can earn is a point, as long as it's enough to support yourself."
Ma Liu said:
"If you study behind closed doors and study hard, you won't be able to stand up even if you get a good name or become an official. You still need to get in touch with the world and sell books while studying. You have to learn how to deal with people, so as not to become a nerd at home."
"Okay." Zhang Aotian nodded. Whatever Liu Ye said, it was whatever he said.
…
This day.
Ma's bookstore opened quietly.
Ma Liu ignored the whispers of his neighbors.
Sitting in front of the counter, he took out the medical notes of the miracle doctor Old Liu and studied them. They included the medicinal properties of various demonic organs, as well as the effects of elixirs and strange flowers.
There is no separation between medicine and martial arts. If you want to practice martial arts and become an immortal, you must be proficient in pharmacology. These are the parts of his knowledge that he lacks.
After killing demons for ten years, the demons Ma Liu killed were only at the peak of the Dao realm, and his research on medicine was far inferior to that of Lao Liu.
Zhang Aotian also moved a small stool and sat behind Ma Liu, reading the book with great interest.
Dayan Chao could take the scientific examination at the age of twelve. He studied late and was delayed for another two years. He had to catch up and catch up.
People come and go, and there is no problem with the flow of people on Caishikou Street.
But the whole morning passed, and the bookstore's business was bleak, with no one even asking for books.
Although he had expected it, Ma Liu still had to consider whether this bookstore could support Zhang Aotian.
After stroking his chin and thinking for a moment, he hung up a sign in front of the door, took over letters and helped people write inscriptions, which not only made extra money, but also allowed Zhang Aotian to practice calligraphy more.
Unexpectedly, not long after I hung it up, a passing guest came to ask.
This man was tall and thick-set, with dark skin, a smart suit, and a full beard. At first glance, he looked like an escort who had been living in the open all year round.
"Can you write a letter?"
"sure."
Ma Liu stood up and clasped his fists to welcome the guest, feeling that this person looked familiar.
"I wonder what the guest officer wants to write?"
The escort said:
"We came to Beijing to deliver escorts and were attacked by bandits. One of our brothers died on the road. We need to tell his elderly parents. Please try to write as tactfully as possible and don't make the old man cry."
"become."
Ma Liu nodded in agreement and asked Zhang Aotian to study ink and write the letter himself.
Then he asked:
"I wonder if your brother has left anything for the old man?"
"No."
The escort glanced at Ma Liu expressionlessly, and seeing that he was about to write the signature, he introduced himself:
"My name is Xu Kaishan."
Lao Liu nodded, folded the letter, stood up and handed it to the other party and said:
"Half a tael of silver."
"How many?"
Xu Kaishan's voice suddenly rose and his eyes widened.
It only costs three to five pennies to write a letter to someone else. Are you fucking robbing me?
Ma Liu smiled and said:
"Let's not talk about how good my handwriting is. Just because of my Sixth Master's name, you can ask at Caishikou here whether the letter I wrote is worth the price."
"If you can get Mr. Liu to write, you will make a lot of money."
As soon as the passing villagers saw the spread of books, a lot of people gathered around him. They set up rice seedlings and started making noises, which made escort Xu blush. It seemed that if he didn't give him this half a tael of silver, he would be penniless. The poor guy.
"boom--"
Half a tael of broken silver was slapped on the table. Xu Kaishan took the letter, covered his head and pushed away the crowd before leaving.
Watching the other party leave, Ma Liu secretly shook his head.
A few days ago, Lei Peng assigned him a sheep demon. He was full of resentment and died unwillingly. Xu Kaishan was in his memory.
A sheep demon had an adventure. He ate a strange fruit when he was just born and transformed into a baby.
Adopted by a kind-hearted middle-aged couple, he has a kind nature and never does evil.
When he grew up, he liked to travel all over the country and visit mountains and rivers. Later, he even became a member of the escort agency. He and Xu Kaishan became brothers and sisters, and even saved each other's life.
Encountering bandits a few days ago, the sheep demon fought hard and repelled the powerful enemy, but he himself was seriously injured.
Before dying, the sheep demon put his hands in his arms and wanted to take out something to express his last words, but unfortunately he didn't have time.
Seeing this, Xu Kaishan hurriedly reached into the sheep demon's arms, and with a sudden thought, he calmly took his hand out, pretending that nothing happened, and hiding it from everyone.
The sheep demon is a demon after all, and naturally he has something beyond the ordinary. There is a rare red blood stone in his arms, which is extremely valuable, and he secretly showed it to Xu Kaishan.
It is normal for people to have greed.
Greed is the source of progress of the times and the driving force for people's struggle, but there should be a bottom line and no conscience should be ignored.
Ma Liu just asked questions and wrote a letter to announce the funeral. He didn't mention the strange stone or the pension money for the sheep demon's parents. Then this matter would be interesting.
The escorts are all rough men, and there are very few educated people who can read and write.
Xu Kaishan went to the vegetable market to find someone to write a letter, and he was willing to be taken advantage of and paid a lot of money. It can only be said that he had a guilty conscience and knew that what he did was not honest. After his brother died, he did not send a dime to his two elders in the family.
…
It's night, the moon and stars are sparse.
There were not many people in the inn, only a few escorts had booked rooms.
These people have strings hung on the windows and behind the doors, and bells tied to them. The bells will ring automatically whenever someone comes in uninvited.
Xu Kaishan was lying on the bed, looking at the strange red blood stone as big as his thumb. It was crystal clear. The more he looked at it, the more he liked it.
"Lao Yang, Lao Yang, it's not that I don't want to give this stone to your two elders. It's because your parents have been farmers all their lives. They don't know how valuable this thing is, so they pawned it rashly. They will definitely give it away for three to five taels of silver, which is a benefit to the store. ."
"I would really like to send some money to your two elders, but my brother is short of money and dare not sell this strange stone easily. This stone is extraordinary and may lead to death."
"Let your two elders suffer first. They have suffered for a lifetime anyway. If I don't miss this moment, when I make a few more escort trips and have money, I will honor them for you."
I comforted myself and felt sleepy.
Xu Kaishan put the stones in his brocade bag as if they were treasures, and carefully carried them in his arms. He was about to close his eyes and fall asleep when a voice suddenly came from his ears:
"What were you mumbling just now?"
Xu Kaishan's hair stood on end.
call--
The window facing the street suddenly burst open, and a strong wind rushed into the room, darkening the sky and the earth.
There was no support outside the window, but a familiar face was hanging outside the window and said with a smile:
"Old Xu, is the stone you are talking about mine?"
