Huangchenggen Bookstore.
It still has the same old-looking door, and the bookstore is quiet and empty. There is no scene of busy workers before, giving it a sense of dilapidation.
"Dong, dong dong!" Yu Hua stepped forward and knocked gently on the door according to the rules.
The sound of knocking on the door spread throughout the Huangchenggen Bookstore as soon as they entered the small courtyard. Not long after, Zhang Fu, the steward in a long robe and mandarin jacket, appeared at the door. After seeing Yu Hua, a hint of joy suddenly flashed in his eyes.
"It turns out to be classmate Zhang. I'm sorry to hear you come in so quickly. Please come in quickly." A smile appeared on Zhang Fu's face, and he hurriedly greeted Yu Hua and bowed.
coming.
After waiting for so long, looking forward to the stars, looking forward to the moon, I finally look forward to you, Zhang San.
Zhang Fu is happy in his heart. Over the past few days, Zhang Fu's heart has changed from curiosity at the beginning, to doubt, then to doubt, then to determination, and finally to desire.
The worsening predicament of Huangchenggen Bookstore made Zhang Fu almost breathless. As a manager of the bookstore, if the bookstore went bankrupt in his hands, how would he face his owner who had always trusted him.
However, the reality is cruel. The Japanese's new offset printing press is too powerful. The printing cost of the same specifications is only 70% of that of Huangchenggen Bookstore. Coupled with deliberate low-price dumping, Huangchenggen Bookstore has no trace at all. Breathing room.
The entire bookstore has not been open for seven days, and the sales of pirated books are extremely bleak. The income per day does not exceed 80 cents, and after deducting the cost, there is still a rebate.
It's ridiculous to say that a dignified bookstore, even if it sells pirated books, is still a bookstore, and its daily sales are only 80 cents.
Today, the bookstore has only five oceans of working capital left on its books, which is only enough to start producing twenty books. In addition, the workers have been owed wages for nearly three months.
Bankruptcy is just around the corner.
These days, Zhang San, who had given some prospects before, has almost become the last straw in Zhang Fu's heart.
This weekend, when the agreed time for the sale and purchase came, from morning to afternoon, Zhang Fu was extremely eager for the appearance of that young figure.
Now, he's finally here.
"Manager Zhang, you don't have to be so polite."
Feeling that Zhang Fu's attitude was far more polite than last time, Yu Hua was a little surprised, but he didn't point it out and bowed in return.
"Yes, yes." Zhang Fu responded quickly.
You're welcome?
You must be polite and enthusiastic. There is no other way. Huangchenggen Bookstore has reached the end of its rope.
Zhang Fu led Yu Hua into the bookstore and sat down in a conference room that had been changed to a conference room last time.
Entering the house, Yu Hua sat at the main seat. Zhang Fu took out a small box from the cabinet next to him and made two cups of hot tea himself.
"Classmate Zhang, please, this is the Longjing tea from last year, specially for entertaining distinguished guests." Zhang Fu put the Longjing tea in front of Yu Hua and said with a smile.
Distinguished guest?
A business worth two and a half dollars is just a distinguished customer?
Regarding Zhang Fu's somewhat abnormal attitude, Yu Hua laughed in his heart and said politely: "Manager Zhang, please."
After he finished speaking, he was not polite. He raised the tea cup to his mouth, blew lightly and took a sip.
Longjing, which contains a strong tea aroma, enters the mouth, and the tea fragrance overflows, giving people the feeling of...
Delicious.
tastes good.
It was still the same, Yu Hua didn't know how to taste tea, so he couldn't get any mysterious feeling from drinking it.
As for learning to taste tea?
Sorry, farewell.
He doesn't have the time to learn the activities of high-end people.
Zhang Fu also picked up the tea cup, but he drank it very carefully and cherished it. He took a sip and savored this rare Longjing tea. If something unexpected happened, this should be the last time he tasted Longjing tea.
Close your eyes and remember.
After a few seconds, he gently put down the tea cup. He kept his natural appearance, with a smile on his face, looking very majestic, but he couldn't hide the look of expectation in his eyes.
After drinking tea and going through a procedure, Yu Hua saw Zhang Fu trying hard to maintain his appearance. He chuckled in his heart and didn't bother to ask. Without wasting time, he went straight to the point and said: "Manager Zhang, could you please tell me about my ten arithmetic problem books?" Is it printed?"
"Classmate Zhang, your ten collections of arithmetic problems have been printed for a long time. There they are. You can see if they meet the requirements. If not, I will reprint them right away." After hearing what Yu Hua said, Zhang Fu pointed to the bookshelf directly opposite. There were ten books of the same thickness in the first cabinet in the first row. He smiled and spoke naturally and generously.
"good."
Yu Hua stood up, went to the bookshelf, and picked up the top collection of math mistakes. There were five big words written on the cover -
A collection of math mistakes.
Author: Zhang San.
The size of the cover meets the standard, and it is wire-bound. The paper material is average and easy to be damaged, but because it is a pirated copy, I don’t bother to pursue it so much.
Open the content and check. The math questions are clearly printed and the characters are standard. The most important problem-solving ideas under each question are in simplified Chinese characters. The layout is suitable for viewing.
Zhang Fu sat on the Taishi chair, staring at Yu Hua who was checking the question book. His right hand on his thigh trembled slightly. He hoped for one thing in his heart, that is, not to make any mistakes.
If something goes wrong, it will be a catastrophic blow to Huangchenggen Bookstore.
Time passed slowly. From the first to the tenth book, Yu Hua carefully checked each one to confirm that it was correct.
"Very good, the problem set meets the requirements and there are no problems." After checking, Yu Hua put down the tenth collection of wrong math problems, turned to look at Zhang Fu, who was sitting on the right side of the Taishi chair, and responded.
Zhang Fu's tense mind relaxed, and a sincere smile appeared on his face: "That's good."
"Manager Zhang, this is the final payment, please keep it." As if he didn't see Zhang Fu's reaction, Yu Hua took out one silver dollar and fifty cents from his pocket, put them on the table, and settled the final payment of the printing contract.
"It's not in the way, it's not in the way, classmate Zhang, I have something unclear..." Zhang Fu waved his hands repeatedly, not caring about the already precious piece of Five Oceans on the desk. He stared at Yu Hua, gritted his teeth, and knew that he would not say anything anymore. There will never be a chance to open his mouth and want to express the request in his heart.
"By the way, Manager Zhang, do you have any arithmetic textbooks from American universities?" At this time, a voice suddenly interrupted Zhang Fu who was about to make the key request, and Yu Hua asked.
Zhang Fu was stunned for a moment, then calmed down, and immediately retracted his words, a little confused: "Arithmetic textbooks from American universities? No, we don't print such books at all."
"It's not printed at all, why?" Yu Hua was a little confused. It would be fine if it was not printed at all, but it would be a problem if it was not printed at all.
"There is no profit. The audience for this kind of book is too small. The content is like a heavenly book. Few students buy it. Moreover, it is all in English. We...can't pirate it." Zhang Fu shook his head first, explained the characteristics of college arithmetic textbooks, and finally gave There is a reason.
There is no profit and no piracy, these are the two core reasons.
The former lies in the market, and the latter lies in technology.
Pirate bookstores and printing workshops generally have weak technical capabilities and poor personnel quality. It is difficult to understand just by reading English, let alone the original English arithmetic textbooks.
There are some mathematical symbols on it that I don’t even know how to read. How should I print them?
"I see..." After hearing this, Yu Hua immediately understood the situation and continued without asking why you didn't copy the books.
The reason is simple. The world's first photocopier was not launched until 1938.
The first channel to find advanced mathematics textbooks failed.
Shaking his head, Yu Hua looked at Zhang Fu and said goodbye: "Manager Zhang, the final payment for the collection of questions has been paid. I will take the book and leave first."
"Classmate Zhang, I..." Seeing Yu Hua bowing to say goodbye, Zhang Fu stood up immediately with a troubled expression on his face. He wanted to speak but couldn't, so he had to bow in return first.
How dare you be rude when you ask for help from others?
Yu Hua smiled slightly, turned around and came to the bookshelf, picked up ten collections of wrong math problems, and headed out the door.
Looking at Yu Hua walking towards the door, Zhang Fu couldn't bear it any longer. There was a trace of anxiety in his eyes and he shouted: "Classmate Zhang, please stay."
"Oh? Is there something wrong with Manager Zhang?"
Seeing that the fire was almost done, Yu Hua showed a puzzled expression and continued to pretend. He stopped, looked back at Zhang Fu who looked eager, and asked.
Yu Hua did not dare to be careless about the pirate dealer Zhang Fu, who he had only contacted once.
Zhang Fu stopped paying attention to Yu Hua's expression and took a deep breath: "Classmate Zhang, Zhang has a question for you."
"Excuse me." Yu Hua was slightly curious. After thinking about it for a long time, it turned out to be just a question.
"Classmate Zhang, when you said one month later last time, is it March 1st tomorrow, or March 21st twenty-one days later?" After asking this question that is related to the life and death of Huangchenggen Bookstore, Zhang Fu's eyes died. He stared at Yu Hua desperately, wanting to get the answer.
Answer!
The month after January that Zhang San mentioned is March ending in February, or January based on thirty days.
time.
Crucial time.
Two different times mean life and death for Huangchenggen Bookstore.
The current situation of Huangchenggen Bookstore cannot afford to wait thirty days. However, after Zhang Fu and Yu Hua said goodbye last time, they suddenly discovered that what this classmate Zhang San said was one month later.
One month later!
Today is February 28th, the last day of February, and tomorrow is March 1st.
In one day, Huangchenggen Bookstore can afford to wait.
In thirty days, Huangchenggen Bookstore cannot afford to wait.
What time is it?
"Is this question important?" Hearing Zhang Fu's question, Yu Hua fell into silence. He understood the true meaning of this question.
"To be honest, this issue is related to the life and death of our bookstore. If we calculate it based on thirty days, our bookstore will close down in three days. If we calculate it based on tomorrow, the bookstore can still expect the five hundred books per month you mentioned before. Orders are coming back, and the Japanese are relying on the new offset printing press to continue dumping books at low prices. All the private bookstores in Beiping City are struggling to survive."
Zhang Fu nodded affirmatively, stared at the young Yu Hua, and responded: "If we all go bankrupt, then the Japanese will control the private printing field. By then, they can print whatever they want, and we can't Resist.”
He shouldn't have pinned the hope of the entire bookstore on a young student he had only met once, but now Zhang Fu was desperate.
Facing the Japanese's new offset printing press and dumping policy, no private bookstore can stop them, and the book market is in decline.
Regardless of whether he is public or private, Zhang Fu wants to keep Huangchenggen Bookstore alive.
The words fell, and it was quiet.
Zhang Fu silently stared at Yu Hua standing at the door of the room, with a trace of expectation in his eyes.
The house fell into an extremely quiet state, leaving only the sound of the biting cold wind outside the window.
"Yes...tomorrow."
