Chapter 54: On Sale

Chapter 54: On Sale

The young boy named Shitou nervously awaited Mr. Hu's response.

"This needs to be approved by the owner," said Mr. Hu, though he felt it wasn't a big issue, he didn't take it upon himself and sent the clerk Liu Zhou to consult Xin You.

Xin You remembered the boy and, since she had nothing else to do, decided to meet him.

Upon seeing Xin You, Shitou knelt down and bowed his head. "Thanks to the silver you gave me, my mother didn't run out of medicine and made it through."

Mr. Hu added from the side, "Owner, this child is called Shitou. His mother is much better now and can be left alone. He wants to come back to work. What do you think—"

"Shitou, get up first."

Shitou obediently stood up, his eyes filled with hope and unease as he looked at Xin You.

"I heard from the manager that you were learning woodblock printing here before?"

Shitou relaxed slightly at Xin You's casual tone. "Yes."

"Do you like woodblock printing?"

"Yes."

Despite his quick answer, Xin You sensed a hint of hesitation. She smiled gently. "Actually, we need someone to greet customers right now."

Liu Zhou looked at Xin You in surprise, almost on the verge of tears.

Owner, are you abandoning me!

Shitou couldn't help but glance at Liu Zhou.

Xin You laughed. "Liu Zhou can't handle everything alone."

Hearing this, Liu Zhou breathed a sigh of relief and nodded vigorously. "That's right, I can't handle it alone!"

Mr. Hu remained silent. Isn't that a blatant lie?

"As long as the owner wants me, I'll do anything," Shitou immediately declared.

"Then you'll be working with Liu Zhou to greet customers. Your wages will be eighty percent of Liu Zhou's, and if you do well after three months, they'll be the same."

"Thank you, Owner! Thank you, Owner!"

Shitou was about to kneel again, but Xin You waved her hand to stop him. "Manager, please instruct Shitou on what he needs to pay attention to."

Once Xin You left, Mr. Hu carefully instructed Shitou, emphasizing one point: "Do you see the copies of *The Peony Record* on that shelf? If anyone comes to buy them, try to find out their identity. If it's a woman, report to the owner immediately if she's here."

Though Shitou found this request strange, he didn't ask any questions. "Manager, don't worry, I've noted it down."

Mr. Hu smiled in relief. "Don't underestimate our owner just because she's young. Shitou, you're smart. Work hard, and your future will be bright."

Liu Zhou rolled his eyes silently.

Here we go again, praising the owner every day. Hmph, even he knows the owner isn't ordinary. Can an ordinary person make ten thousand taels from buying a bookstore?

In private, Shitou asked Liu Zhou, "Brother Liu, how do you find out the identity of customers who buy *The Peony Record*?"

"Well—" Liu Zhou patted Shitou's head, "haven't you noticed the layer of dust on *The Peony Record*? There are no customers for it."

*The Peony Record* was indeed a bestseller, but everyone had a copy back then. Now, with Mr. Ping An's *The Fox Spirit Chronicles* and *Butterfly Fairy* available, who would buy *The Peony Record*? Many people were still tight on money for new books.

In Liu Zhou's opinion, the reprint of *The Peony Record* would end up unsold. They should rely on the new book the Printing House was working on.

Everyone in the Qingsong Bookstore, except for Mr. Hu and Manager Zhao who had read the entire first half, was uncertain about the new book. The bookstore's quietness made them anxious about their future.

On an ordinary morning, an ordinary notice was posted on an ordinary wall outside the Qingsong Bookstore, quickly drawing a crowd.

It wasn't surprising; the Qingsong Bookstore's notices always brought interesting news.

"Oh, there's a new storybook for sale. *Painted Skin*? That's a strange title. What does it mean?"

Reading further, the man couldn't help but say aloud, "Is the beautiful woman human or ghost? Is it a romantic tale envied by all, or a destined calamity? Find out in *Painted Skin*."

"Hmm, that sounds intriguing." A young scholar dressed man spoke, his legs moving involuntarily into the Qingsong Bookstore.

"Huh, can Mr. Songling, who's unknown, really write a good story?" The doubter frowned and muttered, also heading towards the Qingsong Bookstore.

"But didn't they say the author is unreliable?"

The man cleared his throat. "True, but the notice sounds interesting. It's only a few hundred coins, so why not give it a try?"

The questioner's eyes turned sour.

Got it, this guy isn't short on money.

Some particularly avid readers who were short on cash knew that the opposite bookstore would soon have more copies of *Butterfly Fairy*. Not having caught the first wave, they decided to hold onto their coins.

Even so, the steady stream of customers entering the bookstore brought tears to Mr. Hu's eyes.

"Owner, how did you think of writing those things on the notice? It's incredibly effective!"

The notice seemed vastly different from the actual experience, yet somehow it all made sense. No one would throw rotten eggs at the bookstore after reading the story.

Xin You smiled without saying a word.

She couldn't boast—it was a habit formed from listening to her mother's stories. Her mother used these words to pique her curiosity, and Xin You eventually learned to do the same.

Her mother once said her hometown was very far away, too far to return. Who knew what kind of place it was, filled with interesting people and stories.

In the Imperial Academy, Duan Yunlang was trying to persuade his classmates.

“Today, Qingsong Bookstore has a new storybook on sale. Let’s go take a look.”

“No, I don’t think an unknown author can write anything good. It would be a waste of money and our lunch break time.”

“Yaxin Bookstore is going to restock *Butterfly Immortal* soon. I’d rather wait for that.”

“Just give me some face and support my cousin.” Duan Yunlang bowed to his classmates.

He had seen his cousin Qing the day before and learned by chance that a new storybook would be released today. He felt he should support her.

Sigh, it’s too pitiful how she keeps losing money every day.

A youth with phoenix eyes couldn’t help but smile when he heard Duan Yunlang say this: “If you had said so earlier, it would have been fine. Let’s go.”

Regardless of whether Qingsong Bookstore’s new storybook was any good, one still had to give their friend some face.

Duan Yunlang and a few classmates walked out. Along the way, they encountered curious people, and with their thick skin, they invited them to join their group. By the time they left the Imperial Academy, there were nearly a dozen people in their party.

Looking at the bustling crowd at Qingsong Bookstore, the youth with phoenix eyes had a strange expression. “Yunlang, your sister doesn’t seem to need special support.”

Duan Yunlang slowly stroked his chin.