Chapter 169: Fiery Temper

Chapter 169: Fiery Temper

"There is a mountain of flowers and fruits to the south of the Luo River, and on this mountain, there is a magical stone..." When Meng Fei reached the part where Sun Wukong was trapped under the Five Elements Mountain by the Buddha, he saw the small words "End of Volume One."

In disbelief, he flipped further back.

It was gone. It actually ended there!

This was unbearable!

Meng Fei jumped up, clutching the book, and headed out. He bumped right into Meng Jizuo.

"Grandfather—"

Meng Jizuo's gaze fell on the storybook in Meng Fei's hand. Noticing the words "Written by Songling" on the cover, he casually asked his grandson, "Where are you off to in such a hurry?"

"I'm heading to the bookstore."

"Didn't you just come back from outside?"

Meng Fei had no choice but to explain truthfully, "The new storybook by Songling was released today. I bought a copy, but it ended at a crucial moment. I want to ask when the second volume of *Journey to the West* will be out."

"*Journey to the West*?" Meng Jizuo held out his hand, "Let me see."

Meng Fei handed him the book, and with a stern expression, Meng Jizuo slipped it into his sleeve. "You don't study properly and instead read these leisurely books all day!" he scolded.

With that, the old man tucked his hands into his sleeves and left.

Meng Fei: ""

Again! Grandfather wasn't taking the book because Meng Fei was reading leisurely; he clearly wanted to read it himself!

Thinking of the ruler, asking the old man to return it was out of the question. What else could he do but hurry to Qingsong Bookstore to buy another copy? After all, he had only skimmed through it, and such an interesting story needed a couple more reads.

Meng Fei rushed to the bookstore and bumped into his classmate Wang Dayuan.

"Dayuan, what brings you here?"

Wang Dayuan glanced at the dense crowd at the bookstore entrance, feeling dizzy. "I was so curious about what happened to the magical monkey after reading the last part, but it just ended! I thought since Yunlang was coming here, I'd ask."

Before Meng Fei could say anything, someone else chimed in, "Exactly! How could it just end like that? Do they want to keep us from sleeping?"

Meng Fei turned his head slightly and raised an eyebrow. "Zhang Xu?"

"Meng Fei, have you finished reading *Journey to the West* too?" Zhang Xu put his arm around Meng Fei's shoulder.

Compared to Zhang Xu's enthusiasm, Meng Fei was much cooler, simply responding with an "Mhm."

Little did Zhang Xu know, every time Meng Fei was scolded by their grandfather, he was used as a shield. Was it the same? No, Meng Fei scored second-to-last because he couldn't be bothered with those classical texts, whereas Zhang Xu scored last purely because he was... less bright.

"Let's go ask Miss Kou together. Maybe the second volume's manuscript is already available."

"Forget it. There are too many people. It's not worth losing my shoes in the crowd." Meng Fei waved his hand and turned to leave, pulling Wang Dayuan along with him.

Zhang Xu's eagerness to know the next part of the story was somewhat dampened by this interruption. Glancing at the crowd, he also left.

In the afternoon, Kong Rui heard about the release of the new book at Qingsong Bookstore and, bringing several servants, bought one hundred copies of *Journey to the West*.

The staff at the bookstore, knowing that Kong Rui had previously wanted to buy one hundred copies of *Painted Skin*, were not surprised. However, others were stunned by his generosity.

"This new book seems like a travelogue. I brought you a copy."

It was well known among those close to him that Lord He enjoyed reading travelogues.

He Qingxiao fell even more silent.

Marquis Jing'an bought one hundred copies in one go, while he... using his subordinate's...

The subordinate looked puzzled.

Wasn't the lord fond of such books?

A hand reached out and took the book.

"You've worked hard today. Go rest."

After the subordinate left, He Qingxiao glanced at the book title, which indeed looked like a travelogue, and began to flip through it.

As night fell, with the cold wind cutting like knives, a few pedestrians hurriedly walked by, shoulders hunched. Stone closed the bookstore's doors. The abacus in Hu Boss's hands was smoking from how fast he was calculating, and Liu Zhou slumped in his chair, too exhausted to make any expressions.

So tired!

Yet, despite the fatigue, the mood was excellent, especially when Hu Boss calculated the number of books sold that day, leading to cheers in the book hall.

"Everyone worked hard. Let's have hot pot together in the West Court." Xin You cheerfully invited everyone.

Hu Boss and Liu Zhou exchanged glances, both filled with great admiration.

Truly the boss, selling such an astonishing number of copies yet remaining so calm.

In the West Court, the ingredients had already been prepared. Several large copper pots were bubbling away, their aroma wafting far.

Tonight's hot pot celebration included not only Hu Boss and the others but also the managers and workers from the Printing House and those from the eastern courtyard. Hu Boss, Zhao Manager, Liu Zhou, and the others sat with Xin You, and Xiaolian was also pulled to the table to join in the lively mutton hot pot feast.

Thinly sliced mutton quickly cooked when dipped into the boiling pot, and when paired with the prepared sauce, it was incredibly delicious.

Eating such a steaming hot mutton hot pot in the twelfth lunar month was undoubtedly a treat.

After finishing several plates of mutton, Captain Yang strode in, carrying the cold air with him.

"Captain Yang, come sit here." Liu Zhou waved.

As the bookstore's business flourished, the number of guards increased significantly. When Xin You pulled dozens of boxes of silver from Shaoqing Mansion, Hu Boss was so startled that he hastily hired another batch of people.

Now, the guards at Qingsong Bookstore numbered no less than a hundred, divided into three teams to patrol day and night. Captain Yang was in charge of the guard team.

Captain Yang was in his thirties, tall and sturdy, with a handsome face. After approaching, he greeted Xin You respectfully, "Boss."

Xin You flickered her gaze and nodded slightly without revealing anything, "Captain Yang, sit down quickly and have some hot pot."

"Thank you, Boss." Captain Yang sat down confidently and began eating heartily.

With food in their stomachs, others excitedly talked about the new book.

"Manager Zhao, you weren't at the Printing House, but the customers coming to buy the new book today almost broke the threshold," Liu Zhou said animatedly, emphasizing that Kong Rui had bought a hundred copies.

Manager Zhao was unconvinced, "I wasn't at the front, but I knew it sold well. Two boxes of *Journey to the West* were moved from the warehouse. But did that Young Master Kong really buy a hundred copies?"

"How could it be fake? If you don't believe me, ask the boss."

Seeing Manager Zhao looking over, Hu Boss nodded, though a thought stirred in his mind.

How annoying, is Young Master Kong interested in the boss?

Amidst the laughter, Xin You lowered her eyes and picked a slice of winter melon, placing it in her bowl.

Just a moment ago, when Captain Yang approached, she saw a vision of him being stabbed.