Chapter 93 Invitation

Chapter 93 Invitation

Mr. Ping'an, trying to hide his embarrassment, said, "I'm here to see your manager."

Liu Zhou's expression was subtle, but he didn't refuse. "Come in then."

As the young assistant stepped aside, Mr. Ping'an walked in.

He couldn't help but look around. The layout of the book hall was still as he remembered, with only some elegant touches added to the details. Apart from that, the change was in the books themselves. When he had transferred to Yaxin Bookstore, Qingsong Bookstore was already on the decline. Although the shelves were filled with books, they were far from being as densely packed as they were now, all filled with copies of *Painted Skin*.

Liu Zhou noticed Mr. Ping'an's daze and wore a smug expression.

Who would have thought that the bookstore business could be so good! Not only was the lower part of *Painted Skin* in high demand, but many new customers were also buying the upper part. The printing house at the back worked non-stop from morning till night.

According to the manager, this was because the story of that female customer had spread, attracting many people who never read storybooks out of curiosity. And there were far more of these curious people than those who regularly read storybooks. Now, the trend in the capital was everyone talking about *Painted Skin*, from top to bottom.

Actually, even without the manager saying it, Liu Zhou could tell from the owner's purchase of the bookstore that their owner had a golden touch!

"Stone, go invite the manager and tell him Mr. Ping'an is here."

Stone responded and headed towards the western courtyard.

A short while later, Manager Hu walked in, glanced at Mr. Ping'an, and smiled. "Mr. Ping'an, what brings you here early in the morning?"

The departure of Mr. Ping'an hadn't been pleasant. In Manager Hu's view, it was like stabbing Qingsong Bookstore in the heart.

Mr. Ping'an bowed slightly. "Manager, I wish to meet Mr. Songling."

He wanted to see what kind of person had brought him to ruin.

Manager Hu was taken aback.

He had thought Mr. Ping'an was dismissed by the other side and wanted to return, but it turned out he wanted to meet Mr. Songling.

"I'm sorry, but Mr. Songling is not in our bookstore."

"Can the manager tell me where Mr. Songling lives?"

Manager Hu thought, even if he knew, he wouldn't tell you. What if you went to trouble Mr. Songling?

"The old man doesn't know where Mr. Songling lives."

Anger flashed in Mr. Ping'an's eyes. "I just want to meet Mr. Songling. Why must the manager keep refusing?"

Manager Hu was annoyed and replied coolly, "The old man knows nothing about Mr. Songling. If you have no other business, please don't waste time here."

"You!"

Liu Zhou shrugged. "Please leave, sir."

Mr. Ping'an's face turned beet red. He glared at them fiercely and left, brushing his sleeve.

"Tch, what a person." Liu Zhou rolled his eyes at the empty doorway.

"I'll go sweep the entrance." Stone ran out with a broom.

For Stone, the dark days of Qingsong Bookstore were also his dark days. Fortunately, the manager was kind, and later, they got a new owner. Anyone associated with the opposite bookstore was bad!

When Xin You came over from the back, Manager Hu told her about Mr. Ping'an's visit.

"The manager did the right thing. Mr. Songling said from the beginning that he didn't want anyone to know his identity or appearance. Now that Mr. Songling has become famous, more and more people will try to find out about him. We need to be careful."

"Don't worry, Madam. No one will get any information about Mr. Songling from our bookstore."

After all, they genuinely knew nothing.

With more and more customers coming to buy books, everyone soon forgot about Mr. Ping'an's visit. After a busy period, Xin You returned to the eastern courtyard. Not long after, the gatekeeper reported that the third lady from Shaoqing Mansion had arrived.

Xin You instructed Xiaolian to invite Duan Yunling in.

"Qing Cousin, the bookstore was so crowded I couldn't even get in, so I came straight here."

Xiaolian brought tea and snacks.

"Ling Cousin, have some tea."

Duan Yunling picked up the chrysanthemum tea and explained her purpose. "Tomorrow is the Double Ninth Festival. Grandmother wants to take us for an autumn outing and asked me to come and tell Cousin to prepare to go home."

"An autumn outing?" Xin You had been so busy lately that she had forgotten about the Double Ninth Festival.

"Yes, last year Grandmother wasn't feeling well, so only a few of us went. She said this year everyone who can should go."

Xin You had no interest in going on an autumn outing with the people from Shaoqing Mansion, but if it was a custom in the capital for families to go on outings during the Double Ninth Festival, it might be worth considering.

"Did Grandmother say where we're going for the outing?"

"It's the same place we went last year—Bailu Mountain."

Xin You sighed. "I've forgotten everything about last year."

Duan Yunling remembered her cousin's memory loss and smiled apologetically. "It's just about climbing high and looking far. We'll eat chrysanthemum cakes, drink chrysanthemum wine, and exchange dogwood. It's quite fun. Cousin, you should come."

Seeing how prosperous the bookstore was, she really feared her cousin would refuse.

Duan Yunling didn't want to be near Duan Yunhua, and the age gap with Duan Yunyan was too large, so she really wanted Xin You's company.

"What kind of families usually go to Bailu Mountain?" Xin You asked boldly, using her "memory loss" as an excuse.

"Mainly officials and aristocratic families."

Xin You nodded. "Cousin Ling, go back first. I'll come over after I finish the bookstore's affairs."

Duan Yunling successfully invited someone and left happily.

"Xiaolian, don't rush to tidy up," Xin You waved her hand. "Last year during the Chongyang Festival, did Miss Kou and the young ladies from Shaoqing Mansion go to Bailu Mountain?"

"Hmm, at that time, it wasn't long since you had finished your mourning period. It was your first formal outing."

"Did the Dai Gongzi who came to the bookstore to forcibly purchase *Hua Pi* also leave?"

Xiaolian tried hard to recall and shook her head. "I don't have much of an impression. There were too many people at Bailu Mountain, and you hadn't been out in a while, so you didn't go to the crowded places. But I heard that Princess Royale Qingyang went, and many matrons took their younger relatives to greet her."

Hearing about Princess Royale Qingyang, Xin You felt a stir in her heart.

Mother once mentioned that she had an aunt, and the two were very close. Could Princess Royale Qingyang be the aunt Mother talked about?

At this point, even if it weren't for Count Gu Chang's household, Xin You decided to take a look.

In Shaoqing Mansion, the matriarch, after hearing Duan Yunling's report, smiled at Second Lady Zhu, "I never expected Qingqing to be so capable, actually managing to make a bookstore thrive."

The matriarch had recently heard a lot about Qingsong Bookstore and took the opportunity to glance at it from afar, noticing that the line of customers stretched from the store all the way down the street.

With business like this, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say they were making a fortune daily.

Lady Zhu smiled in agreement. "Yes."

"Now that you're in charge of the household, when Qingqing returns, make sure to take good care of her and replenish her strength, so she doesn't neglect her health with all her busy work." The matriarch smiled meaningfully. "Qingqing is thoughtful; as her aunt, if you treat her well, she will remember it in her heart."

"Matriarch, rest assured, taking care of Qingqing is my duty." Lady Zhu responded, sneering inwardly.

The matriarch still wants to keep the esteemed cousin in this golden cage, but doesn't see that the sky is wide open for her—why would she want to return to captivity?