Chapter 90: Reincarnated Soul

Chapter 90: Reincarnated Soul

"No, I had no such intention," he hurried to say, fearful of offending Song Que.

A sneer curled at the corner of Song Que's lips.

"My family, the Songs, hail from a distinguished lineage. If it weren't for the need to avoid calamity, my father wouldn't have brought our entire family to this Lingquan Town to live in seclusion."

"How laughable, to have fallen to such a state today..."

"So be it. Let us pretend that Song never visited your esteemed bookshop today." With that, Song Que made to rise again.

Mr. Wang's expression changed once more.

"What has come to this! Why must it come to this, Master Song!" He hurriedly intervened again.

"I spoke out of turn, please forgive me, Master Song. Do not take offense! Please do not hold it against me!" As he blocked Song Que, Mr. Wang apologized.

He had indeed not read the Wen Yuan Anthology brought by Song Que before.

But some of the phrases within were familiar to him.

When he flipped through the book earlier, he was already seventy percent certain of its authenticity.

Now, hearing Song Que claim descent from a noble family, and considering how he always felt that Song Que carried an extraordinary aura, unlike an ordinary person, his belief grew even stronger.

Song Que was indeed a man of exceptional talent.

Before entering the academy, his father had been his sole teacher, and it was entirely possible that he had read many rare books.

If this were before, to keep the rare books secret and reduce competition, it would make sense for the Song family not to sell these books publicly.

But now, with Song's father deceased and Song Que required to observe a three-year mourning period, leaving him ineligible to participate in any examinations.

Coupled with the current financial difficulties faced by the Song family, Song Que's decision could be understood.

With this in mind, Mr. Wang became even more convinced of the authenticity of the books in Song Que's possession.

"Fifty taels! Fifty taels it is, Master Song!" Thus, he spoke.

Only then did Song Que stop struggling and turned to look at Mr. Wang again.

Mr. Wang gave Song Que an apologetic smile before releasing him.

"Please wait a moment, Master Song. I will fetch the silver." Bowing to Song Que, he left.

Watching Mr. Wang's retreating back, Song Que's lips curved upward slightly as he placed the book on the table once more.

His slender fingers tapped rhythmically on the book cover.

Soon after, Mr. Wang returned.

In his hands was a tray covered with a cloth.

"Please count it, Master Song." He placed the tray on the table.

Song Que glanced at Mr. Wang.

Then, he reached out to lift the cloth.

Beneath it lay five ten-tael silver ingots.

Seeing this, there was no ripple in Song Que's eyes.

"The items are too heavy to carry conveniently. Could you prepare a box for me, Mr. Wang?" he said.

Seeing Song Que's composed demeanor, Mr. Wang became even more convinced that Song Que truly hailed from a noble family.

"Done! I'll arrange it right away." Mr. Wang agreed.

He left again.

Soon, he returned with a small box.

Only then did Song Que reach for the silver, placing all five ingots into the box.

After closing the box, he set it aside.

Next, he handed the book over to Mr. Wang.

Mr. Wang's eyes gleamed.

Taking the book, he quickly began flipping through it.

Earlier, due to his eagerness and the urgency to ask questions, he hadn't examined it closely enough.

Now, looking through it again, Mr. Wang felt that his money was well spent.

This was undoubtedly the genuine Wen Yuan Anthology. Such a writing style and choice of words, who else but Mr. Wen Yuan could achieve such mastery?

Seeing Mr. Wang's reaction, Song Que didn't interrupt.

He simply waited with a detached expression.

He waited until Mr. Wang had read through most of the book, then put it down amidst exclamations of awe.

"Mr. Wen Yuan is truly a prodigy!" Mr. Wang exclaimed again, turning to look at Song Que.

Song Que nodded faintly.

Mr. Wang reined in his emotions somewhat.

"Before, Mr. Song mentioned having other rare books in your possession?" he asked Song Que.

"Mm," Song Que nodded.

"I wonder which ones they are?" Mr. Wang looked at Song Que with anticipation.

Song Que spoke up, listing the names of five books.

They were all lost works by renowned scholars that had vanished from the market.

Upon hearing this, Mr. Wang's eyes lit up.

"All of them—willing to sell?" he asked.

Song Que glanced at Mr. Wang and nodded again.

"They're fifty taels each. If Mr. Wang is willing to buy all five, I'll make it two hundred and forty taels."

Mr. Wang mulled it over.

At fifty taels per book, the total should be two hundred and fifty taels if he bought them all.

This Mr. Song was quite generous, only charging him ten taels less than the total.

However, based on what he'd seen earlier, Mr. Song wasn't skilled at haggling and seemed rather stubborn.

There was little chance of negotiating the price.

So be it, two hundred and forty taels it was.

These were books that could become family treasures. He would consider this expenditure as an investment in his family's heritage.

Indeed, despite running a bookstore, he didn't intend to make money off these books. Instead, he planned to keep them for his collection.

After all, neither of his two sons had given up on the imperial examinations.

Even his future grandchildren would likely follow the same path.

As a father and grandfather with limited abilities, he had worked hard for most of his life but only managed to pass the scholar examination.

He taught for a while at Lingyun Academy and then left the academy to open this bookstore.

But he still hoped that his descendants could advance further and become junior officials.

For the Wang family to truly become a scholarly household, it would require gradual accumulation.

It would start with him...

"Deal!" Mr. Wang agreed.

This time, Song Que's eyes showed a noticeable change.

"Also, there's another matter I wish to trouble Mr. Wang with." He then bowed slightly to Mr. Wang.

"Oh—Mr. Song, please speak," Mr. Wang quickly returned the gesture.

"I wish to purchase a courtyard in Lingquan Town and hope Mr. Wang can help me look out for one."

Mr. Wang was taken aback.

"What kind of courtyard are you looking for?"

"It doesn't need to be too large, just enough for a family of five to live comfortably. It would be best if there's a well in the courtyard, and the price should be kept below three hundred taels," said Song Que.

Six books sold for a total of two hundred and ninety taels; adding some more money from that woman would easily reach three hundred taels.

Yes, he had thought it through over the past few days.

Relying solely on that woman venturing into the mountains or down the river wouldn't allow them to save enough money to buy a courtyard in the city before autumn.

After much consideration, purchasing a courtyard still depended on him.

Fortunately, he had a good memory.

He remembered some books he liked and could almost recite and transcribe them after reading.

Otherwise, he couldn't think of any way to earn this sum of money.

Yes, he had been reborn. Reborn on the day his leg was injured.

In his previous life, after he injured his leg, that woman hanged herself and fell to her death.

The Qin family came to bury the woman but never bothered with their Song family again.

Afterward, without money for treatment, his leg became permanently disabled.

Then, during the scorching summer, there was no rain for days, leading to a severe drought in the surrounding prefectures around Zhao County.

His mother and Yun'er fell into the Huanshui River while fetching water and never returned.

Later, he and Ye'er barely made it through until autumn.