Chapter 54 Hard to Trade

Chapter 54: Hard to Sell

Outside, Song Tingzhou went around toasting each table, and after one round, his head was spinning. The title of Scholar Xiucai made him feel even more distant from the villagers. Even if someone was reckless enough to urge him to drink, they were blocked by Second Uncle Song.

Song Tingzhou still walked steadily, but his eyes were already blurry from drunkenness. The women who had come for the feast had mostly left, leaving only a few men still drinking and unwilling to leave.

Aunt Tian felt that her eldest daughter-in-law had lost face, but unexpectedly, Chang Jinhua gave her a few extra coins. Chang Jinhua said politely, "She's still young and has room to improve. Consider today as practice at my house. Go home and learn well from your mother-in-law, and soon you'll be able to handle feasts on your own."

Aunt Tian's face flushed red. The red envelope felt like a hot potato, so she quickly said some congratulatory words and dragged her eldest daughter-in-law home.

The feast lasted until the hour of Xu (7-9 PM). As the sunset faded and the sky grew dim, the oil lamps were about to be lit before all the clan members finally dispersed.

Song Tingzhou and Chang Jinhua saw each person out the door, then returned home to clean up the mess. Fortunately, several daughters-in-law from the main family stayed to help. They were efficient, and with the dim light of the oil lamp, the house was cleaned inside and out in less than half an hour.

Chang Jinhua had invested heavily in today's feast, making large bowls and basins. There was still some leftover food in the kitchen that hadn't been served, which she distributed among those who helped. After everyone left, she said to her son, "Return the tables, chairs, bowls, and chopsticks tomorrow; there's no rush. I scrubbed the pot with soapberry and added clean water. Go to bed early."

As a mother, she was too embarrassed to say more, so she took the gift ledger and money box and went into her own room.

Song Tingzhou walked to the small room, pushed the door open, and closed it behind him. The room was pitch black. He accidentally kicked a stool by the door, on which sat a basin of used water. Beside it were the toothbrush and tooth powder they had brought back from the prefectural city, indicating that Meng Wan had already washed up.

Song Tingzhou gently moved the basin aside, lit an oil lamp, and placed it on the stool. The dim yellow light faintly illuminated the person on the kang.

Meng Wan had long fallen asleep leaning against the quilt, not even having taken off his shoes. He held a comic book in his arms, his neatly combed hair now loose, and his face still damp, suggesting he had just fallen asleep not long ago.

His eyebrows were dark and straight, with a slight sharpness at the ends, giving his face full of lingering charm an extra touch of masculine vigor. But now, with his eyes closed, that masculine vigor was somewhat softened.

His lips were not as red as when they had been colored with lipstick during the day, yet Song Tingzhou still couldn't take his eyes off them. He stared intently at the prominent lip bead, his Adam's apple moved, and slowly leaned down... then sank his teeth into it!

Meng Wan's eyes shot open, but in an instant, he was pulled into Song Tingzhou's embrace. The delicate lip bead was gently nibbled by the person on top of him, then drawn into his mouth. Their lips and teeth intertwined with passionate intensity.

Once Meng Wan came to his senses, his tense body relaxed. He pressed his hands against Song Tingzhou's chest and responded naively. The scene he had imagined countless times became a reality, provoking Song Tingzhou to attack even more wildly.

The sound of kissing continued without end. Song Tingzhou seemed to have learned instinctively, changing angles skillfully to kiss him. His high-bridged nose occasionally brushed affectionately against Meng Wan's nose, and his tongue moved nimbly, teasing him.

The burning lips and tongue slowly moved downward, nibbling at Meng Wan's fair and delicate neck. Quick gasps mixed with Meng Wan's moans of desire.

Song Tingzhou kicked off both of their shoes, pulled open the big red quilt, and wrapped Meng Wan inside.

It was a blend of love and desire, emotion and lust.

When Meng Wan opened his eyes, the sky was already bright. No one was beside him, but his body felt fairly dry and clean.

He struggled to sit up from the bedding. Clean clothes lay by the pillow. Meng Wan slowly dressed, folded the quilt, and propped open the window.

A gentle breeze blew through, and Meng Wan narrowed his eyes in comfort. Getting married in this unfamiliar dynasty—maybe it wasn't so bad?

He got off the bed feeling slightly uncomfortable, but his empty stomach was unbearable. He needed to eat. The stove next to the small room was still warm. Meng Wan lifted the pot lid to find a bowl of fine rice porridge and two red eggs.

The main room was empty. Old Mrs. Chang had gone home with her son yesterday. Chang Jinhua and Song Tingzhou were not home either. In the yard, their wedding garments were drying, apparently washed by Song Tingzhou himself.

After washing up, Meng Wan stood at the door with a bowl of porridge, basking in the sun. After finishing the porridge, he peeled and ate an egg.

"Wan Geer, you're up?" Chang Jinhua came in and saw him nibbling on the egg by the door.

"Yeah, Mother," Meng Wan said smoothly.

This time, Chang Jinhua didn't scold him. She smiled and replied, "Hey!"

"Da Lang has returned the borrowed tables, chairs, bowls, and chopsticks. Yesterday, the clan leader had too much to drink, so your marriage certificate is still with him. Da Lang went to pick it up and will be back soon."

Now that they were married, Meng Wan's name was added to the Song family genealogy. He was officially Song Tingzhou's legally wedded husband.

Meng Wan nodded. "After we get the marriage certificate, we'll go to Guyang County first to take care of matters. Then we'll head to the prefectural city soon."

Upon hearing this, Sixth Aunt Song and Man Geer, who had come to visit, exchanged glances. "So this time, when Tingzhou goes to the prefectural city, you'll all go?"

Chang Jinhua welcomed them in and asked in return, "Isn't Man Geer going to open the shop in town today?"

Sixth Aunt Song followed Chang Jinhua into the house. "That's what I wanted to talk about. I didn't mention it before because you were busy with the wedding. Now that you and Wan Geer are back, the shop should be returned to you, but..."

Man Geer took over from his mother-in-law, a bit embarrassed. "It's just that Dali and I still want to do the fried dough business."

Afraid that Meng Wan might misunderstand, he quickly explained, "Not in our Quanshui Town. We'll rent a place in the neighboring town and open a new shop. That way, we won't interfere with each other, okay?"

He looked at Meng Wan eagerly. Meng Wan chuckled lightly. "Why are you in such a hurry? When I taught you how to make it, I already had in mind that I might not come back. Now that my husband has become a Linseng, he needs to study at the prefectural school. Mother and I will naturally follow him. We don't know how long we'll be gone. You keep doing business, just give me back the remaining few months of rent."

The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law were overjoyed. Quanshui Town was already familiar territory; starting over somewhere new would be tough. Now they had essentially gotten a great deal.

Sixth Aunt Song didn't linger. She immediately went home for the money. Chang Jinhua couldn't stop them, and the two women left in a flurry.

Chang Jinhua sighed, "Your Sixth Aunt is impatient, but she's a good person."

To be honest, other people might have played dumb and shamelessly taken advantage, but Sixth Aunt Song took the initiative to bring it up, not wanting to take advantage of others at all. This decision was likely discussed by the whole family—they were good, honest folk.

A little while later, Song Tingzhou returned with the marriage certificate. Meng Wan unrolled it and looked at it for a moment. It was just a piece of red paper, inscribed with: "Two families united in marriage, a covenant made in the hall, a good match bound for eternity. On this day, the peach blossoms bloom, fitting for the house and home; in the years to come, may your descendants flourish like melon vines. With this pledge of a white-haired future, we write this letter to the wild goose, and seal this red-leaf oath in the marriage registry. This is our witness."

In addition to these vows, the names of Song Tingzhou and Meng Wan were clearly written. The matchmaker was Sixth Aunt Song, whose maiden name was Liu San Niang. The witness was the clan leader.

The marriage certificate was of great importance; it still needed to be registered in the Household Office of the county town.

Meng Wan carefully put the certificate away with his comic book, and then discussed with Song Tingzhou, "Our home is still two days' travel from Guyang County. Why not stop by on the way to the prefectural city?"

Song Tingzhou stared at his updo and said, "Alright."

Having gotten a taste of the night before, he now wanted to be glued to Meng Wan's side, though his face remained impassive.

Meng Wan, slow on the uptake, turned to look at Song Tingzhou, who was following him step by step. "I'm going to help Mother pack. Why are you following me?"

Song Tingzhou pretended to be nonchalant. "I'm just checking if the clothes are dry."

Meng Wan rolled his eyes internally. Was that really worth a trip outside? He ignored him and went to the main room to find Chang Jinhua.

This time when they moved to the prefectural city, they wouldn't just be staying temporarily; they were moving the whole household. Iron pots, bedding—all needed to be packed.

Song Tingzhou wandered around the yard for a while, then went to the main room to find his husband. Chang Jinhua shooed them out. "I'm fine here. Go pack your own things in the small room."

Meng Wan felt inexplicably wronged. Were they already being shooed away right after marriage?

Song Tingzhou couldn't delay going to the prefectural school any longer. After only two nights at home after the wedding, on the third day, Meng Wan went with him to town to rent a cart. He also brought along his comic book to find Shopkeeper Huang.

"Did Young Master Meng draw this?" Shopkeeper Huang, originally sitting and flipping through it, stood up abruptly after a few pages and asked Meng Wan.

Meng Wan smiled. "Shopkeeper Huang doesn't need to worry about who drew it. I just want to ask if a book like this can be sold."

His attitude all but admitted it, and Shopkeeper Huang was already familiar with his style.

"Wait a moment, Young Master. Let me look through it carefully, and then we can talk."

Shopkeeper Huang eagerly pored over it three times. The booklet was twenty or thirty pages long, and he went through it over and over.

"You two must forgive me. In all my years running a bookshop, this is the first time I've seen such an innovative book."

"In the kingdom of Yu, illustrated books with text are not unheard of, but Meng Wan's book is a masterpiece. The illustrations are captivating, and the content is gripping. In just this short while, he has become completely immersed in the story, eager to know what happens next."

"As long as they enjoy reading it, it shows there's an audience. Meng Wan felt reassured and asked, "Then Shopkeeper Huang, do you think this book can be sold?""

"Shopkeeper Huang pondered for a moment. "It can definitely be sold, but I'm wondering how Brother Meng plans to sell it.""

"Upon hearing this, Meng Wan smiled instead. "What do you suggest, Shopkeeper Huang?""

"Shopkeeper Huang said somewhat helplessly, "Brother Meng, I understand why you've come to me, but I'm afraid my little shop can't take on such a big deal.""

"This was unexpected for Meng Wan. He picked up the comic book and asked in confusion, "Is it really that serious?""

"Shopkeeper Huang gave a bitter smile. "Brother Meng, have you heard of the famous Master Huajian in the capital?""

"Meng Wan was bewildered. "No, I haven't.""

"He tugged at Song Tingzhou's hand and asked, "Have you heard of him?""

"Song Tingzhou held his hand in return. "No, I haven't.""

"Shopkeeper Huang tried to keep his eyes on their upper bodies. "You two are not mundane people like me, so it's natural you don't know. This Master is a famous figure in the kingdom of Yu. He failed the metropolitan exam three times, and in anger, he shut himself in his home and refused all guests. He spent two full years writing playscripts. Unexpectedly, his works became wildly popular throughout the kingdom of Yu, adored by countless young ladies and lordlings in the inner chambers.""

""What does that have to do with our business?" Meng Wan was puzzled. He was just a low-key married young man, without any such fame."

"Shopkeeper Huang said, "I've read that Master's playscripts. To be honest with you, Brother Meng, they are not as good as yours.""

""Really? They each have their own style." Meng Wan's expression was calm, not showing any pride at Shopkeeper Huang's praise."

""But the problem lies here. This Master's family is not unknown in the capital. After he finished his playscripts, he originally put them up for sale in the bookshop under his own name. However, within just two months, his books were everywhere on the streets of the capital, with beautifully printed pages, making his own books look like fakes." Shopkeeper Huang was shrewd but not dishonest; instead, he clearly explained the pros and cons to Meng Wan."

""Shopkeeper Huang is right. I oversimplified things." Meng Wan had thought that the big bookstores would not be interested in his book, so he planned to sell it bit by bit through small bookstores like Huang's. But now hearing Shopkeeper Huang's words, it really wasn't feasible."

"Their printing costs were limited; if the book got noticed, without any anti-counterfeiting measures, how could they compete with the big bookstores? They might even change the author's name."

"But working with big bookstores also worried him."

""But I'm just a nobody. If I take it to the bookstores in the prefectural city myself, what if they bully me because of their size?" Meng Wan sincerely asked Shopkeeper Huang for advice."

"Shopkeeper Huang did have some advice on this. "There's a workaround, though it's not perfect. Since you have talent, Brother Meng, why don't you first release a few copies to various bookstores...""

"Meng Wan's eyes lit up. "That's right! I was too eager for money and misjudged the situation. I'll first give them a taste, pretend to be cheated, and once the books gain some reputation, I'll write the second volume and then take them down a notch!""

"Shopkeeper Huang's eyes widened. "Ah?""

"That wasn't what he meant! He had wanted Meng Wan to humble himself first. After all, it was for making money; there was no shame in lowering oneself. That was how he managed every time he went to the prefectural city to restock books."

"Huang Zheng, who had been sitting nearby keeping them company, remembered everything Meng Wan and Shopkeeper Huang said. He couldn't help feeling his own father lacked Meng Wan's gumption."

"After Meng Wan and the others left, he tossed and turned all night thinking about it. In the dead of night, he got up in the dark and packed his bag."

"When he walked out with his bag, he was met with confused looks from his whole family. Huang Zheng said to Shopkeeper Huang, "Father, I still want to go to the prefectural city with Brother Song and his husband, Song Fulang.""

"Shopkeeper Huang looked at his younger son and asked, "Have you thought this through? If you come back home halfway this time, you'll never be allowed to leave again. After I die, I'll leave the shop to your elder brother, and you'll have to go back to the countryside and farm."" "Huang Zheng promised him seriously: "I won't run back again. I... I want to learn business from Master Song.""