Heaven's Formula

"It's a pity that such a good girl has snake eyes, which is really daunting."

"Yeah... In comparison, elves are easier to accept."

Click.

Wei Wushuang seemed to hear the gritted teeth of the introducer.

He shook his head and shouted into the shop, "Boss, here's a newspaper!"

"Hey," the shopkeeper immediately came forward rubbing his hands, "Do I need to wrap it up for you?"

"No need, why is it so formal for something worth ten cents?"

"That's different, you are the first customer after the store opens!"

Wei Wushuang was startled, pulled the store aside and asked in a low voice, "Is there really no one buying this newspaper?"

"Yeah," the latter smiled wryly, "It is said that cooperating with the Bureau is a profitable business, and it seems that I will be the No. 1 loser."

Wei Wushuang felt rather uncomfortable. He knew that Xia Fan attached great importance to the Propaganda Department, and the current plans were all implemented by Fu Cheng himself. If the first battle failed, not only would the Propaganda Department lose face, but he, as a member of the Bureau, would lose face. Members, too, will feel frustrated.

Unfortunately, he didn't know what to do with it.

After all, he was in charge of the Ministry of Grain, and he came here to buy newspapers because his father wanted to read them.

Back at his home, Wei Wushuang found an extra pair of leather boots at the entrance.

"Dad, I'm back."

"Oh, come and meet Mr. Zhuang." Wei Yan waved his hand, gesturing him to sit down at the table, "Do you remember this one? The big businessman in Anshen City who used to take care of the grain store business."

"Remember, my son." Wei Wushuang bowed his hands in a polite salute, "I met Mr. Zhuang."

"Hey, there's no need to be like this. You are now a senior official of Jinxia City, so I should salute you." The latter said with a smile on his face.

Since he was appointed by Xia Fan as the head of the food department, not only his family's attitude towards him has changed 180 degrees, even when guests visit him, it is basically the same.However, the elated feeling in his heart didn't last long. Instead, he felt uncomfortable all over, not even as relaxed as before when he was unknown.

After exchanging pleasantries, Wei Wushuang put the Shenjin Weekly on the table, "Father, I brought back the newspaper you wanted, and I have to go to the secretariat later, please forgive me for not staying with me for a long time."

"Newspaper? What is that?" Mr. Zhuang asked curiously.

"Oh, Jinxia City made a new gadget. I heard that with this thing, you can know the world's major events without leaving home." Father Wei stroked his beard and smiled, "I'm really curious, so I asked him to buy a copy." Come and have a look."

"Really?" He took the weekly newspaper curiously, looked it up and down, "How much is this one?"

"Ten words." Wei Wushuang replied.

"It's so cheap?"

Wei Wushuang was startled, and retracted his hands that were about to stand up, "Do you think it... is cheap?"

"Isn't it! Look at this paper, the ink on the back is not even leaked, which is impossible for ordinary rice paper." Mr. Zhuang said carefully, "The size of each character is basically the same, it should be printed on an engraving board Yes, the ink is thick in color, and the ink used is undoubtedly top-grade...the person who made this must have put a lot of thought into it."

"As expected of an expert in running a pawn shop, he can see so many tricks." Wei Yan said in amazement.

"This business relies on the eyes, so what if you don't want to be sharp." The other party smiled and shook his head, "But let me tell you, the most valuable thing about this newspaper is not the paper and ink, but the portrait!"

Chapter 384 For the Glory of Penglai

"portrait?"

"That's right, judging from the traces, it should have been printed with a mold too, but this stroke... oh my God, they actually used fine slashes and crossed lines to represent light or dark shadows, while the shadows in the dark It's ink color." Mr. Zhuang said in admiration, "Don't you think... this portrait is so lifelike, as if it is standing on the screen?"

"It's quite meaningful when you say that." Father Wei pondered, "But after all, it's just a palm-sized portrait, and it can be printed in batches. It shouldn't be worth much, right?"

"Painting skills are valuable." The other party said firmly, "I have collected many famous paintings by famous artists, and I have a little understanding of this industry. For those masters, seeking breakthroughs in techniques is equally important as improving their state of mind. More specific I can’t say for sure, but this method of using lines to express light and shadow, so as to make the portrait stand up, is definitely from the hands of famous masters! If you can get the original version, it will definitely sell for a high price in a few years.”

"So that's what you meant." Wei's father was stunned.

"Of course, the value of this newspaper is far more than ten articles... Regardless of the cost, it is the first issue of commemorative significance, and the content is so amazing. If I don't read it, I don't know about Jinxia City. There are dragons in it...it’s really eye-opening." Mr. Zhuang looked at Wei Wushuang, "It should sell well."

"No... When I go to buy a newspaper, almost no one is willing to pay for it."

"What?" The other party asked in surprise, "How many newspapers are there in that store?"

Wei Wushuang thought for a moment, "About two or three thousand?"

"Well... I'll buy half of it." The businessman surnamed Zhuang got up and said, "I don't know where the store is?"

"Are you sure?" Father Wei asked unexpectedly, "That's more than 100 taels of silver."

"When will I start a business that loses money?" He said confidently, "People outside want to know the news about Jinxia City, and if they pull it to Anshen City to sell it, they won't worry about no one asking for twenty coins. And those Painters, it’s nothing to them to spend one or two silver. To put it bluntly, the business itself is to use the information difference to obtain income. As long as the channels are open, there are few things in the world that cannot make money.”

"I'll take you there!" Wei Wushuang said happily.

"But didn't you just say... you're going to the secretariat later?"

"Hey, there's time. Mr. Zhuang, please come with me."

Wei Wushuang put on his outer robe again, took the other party out, and at the same time was very happy - although it could only increase the sales of one store, it was better than not selling any.Moreover, Mr. Zhuang's vision is indeed good. If the newspaper can be sold to other places, it can be regarded as fulfilling the original intention of the Propaganda Department.

However, when he rushed to the bookstore with the benefactor, Wei Wushuang got an unexpected answer from the shopkeeper.

"What did you say—papers are sold out?"

"That's right," the boss said with some embarrassment, "Not only the ones on the table, but also the ones in the room are sold out."

"But didn't few people want to buy it before?"

"Indeed, but later a mysterious guest bought all the newspapers and distributed them to the surrounding villagers for free on the spot." The boss scratched his head, "Probably some rich family is doing good deeds..."

I have only heard of giving with hot porridge, noodles and cakes, and this is the first time I have heard of the two people doing charity with newspapers.

What's more, these Shenjin weekly reports add up to two or three hundred taels of silver!

Wei Wushuang and Mr. Zhuang looked at each other for a while.

……

"Master Chi, all the newspapers of Baiwen Yaji and Zhouji Bookstore have been distributed, and the remaining one is not a big problem." Kong Xuanzi reported to Chihui, "Only we have no contact with the Office, and the three bookstores have added A total of 450 six taels of silver."

"Thank you." Chi nodded in satisfaction, and changed to a more majestic posture, "How much money is left from the money I brought this time?"

"There are more than 7000 taels left," Kong Xuanzi counted, "However, many of them are gold ingots and precious stones. If you want to cash them into cash, it will take some time."

"Did you only use so much?" Chi said, propping his face with one hand, "It doesn't look like it would cost much to distribute a copy to everyone in Jinxia City. If only Xia Fan could find a way to print more newspapers."

Penglai is not short of money.

But she never revealed to others how rich Penglai was.

Many, many years ago, in the era when humans and dragons coexisted, the sacrifices accepted by the ancestors included not only children, but also a lot of property.In order to store them, the ancestors had to open up a huge cave on the island as a warehouse. Over time, many copper coins were even glued together, and it was difficult to separate them.When evacuating Penglai Island, Chi people took away a lot of money in batches, but there are still many valuable things left on the island.

This was also the reason why she had to bring more than a dozen entourages with her when she traveled.

In addition to taking care of her daily life, some people were also assigned to guard and escort the "packages" brought on this trip.

And when Chi introduced his ability to the candidates from the Six Nations, he deliberately concealed the money part, because he didn't want to arouse the greed of the other party, and thus got the opposite result.

After all, such a huge sum of "dowry", let alone a demon, even if the object is a demon, I am afraid that some people would dare to agree to it.

She is a dragon.

Unique real dragon.

It should be more dazzling than this money.

Now...someone has finally figured this out.

Chi happily picked up a newspaper at hand, and No. 17 read the report about himself.

Running thousands of miles to send reinforcements, calling clouds and rain to extinguish the fires in the city, blocking the sea wind to trap enemy ships in the western poles, taking the lead in defeating vicious pirates...all of them are positively described, and the accompanying drawings also show the heroic appearance of the dragon.

It turns out that this is what it feels like to be in the headlines.

Overall...not bad.

Although the pricing of newspapers makes people less willing to buy on the first day, it is enough for Penglai to solve this small problem by itself.Chi believes that when these news spread, she will sooner or later become the guardian in the hearts of the residents of Jinxia, ​​and rebuild the Penglai Fairy Pavilion that has been cheered by the world.

"As soon as the snow melts, notify those old friends who live in seclusion to move to Qiguo Jinxia City." Chi said slowly.

This means that it is equivalent to officially deciding to settle here.

"Yes." Kong Xuanzi also showed a gratified smile. He didn't care so much about whether the Penglai prosperity could be reappeared. He only hoped that Master Chi could live a carefree life in the future.

"Lord Chi—" At this time another person pushed open the door and sent a message at the door, "There is an invitation from the Office, I hope you can go to Fengyang Villa. Lord Xia Fan has something to discuss with you .”

Is this the heightened publicity campaign he mentioned earlier?Everything is finally on the right track.

Chi raised the corner of his mouth, "Understood, I will go there."

Chapter 385 The reason for the invitation

……

At the same time, Liu Ruyan took the invitation to the gate of the villa.

"So it's Mrs. Liu." The guard checked the post and handed it back to her, "Please come in. There are attendants leading the way inside, you just need to follow."

"Thank you." After saluting, Liu Ruyan stepped through the gate and walked up the mountain with his attendants.

It was the first time for her to enter this suburban villa.

Everyone in Jinxia knows that this is the residence of Princess Guangping, and before the princess came to Jinxia, ​​it was also a palace that only the royal family was eligible to live in.

The scale of the villa is the best proof.

More than a dozen imposing palaces and pavilions stand by the mountains, connected by gravel paths; flower beds, rockeries, gazebos, and water pools are overwhelming, and there are many exquisite bungalows near the outer edge of the wall. Up, it is estimated that several thousand people will not be crowded.

Liu Ruyan never imagined that she would step into this kind of place one day.

And the inviter was not the princess herself, but Lord Xia Fan.

Turning into a courtyard from the fork in the mountain road, and then passing through a long pavilion along the boardwalk, the two came to a large hall.

"Miss Liu, it's here." The attendant bowed slightly, "Please go in, Mrs. Xia is waiting for you inside."

Liu Ruyan suddenly felt her heart beating violently.

It's not that she hasn't thought about some things, but with her status and identity, this idea, like many fantasies, just flashes through her mind.

She took a deep breath and walked forward into the hall.

Before entering the lobby, Liu Ruyan heard a familiar voice.

The nervousness was reduced by half immediately, she took two quick steps, pushed open the main entrance of the lobby, "Yan'er? It really is you!"

"Ru, Ruyan?" Yan'er looked at her in surprise, "Why are you here?"

"That's what I want to ask you too." Liu Ruyan said while looking around - besides Yan'er, there were more than ten women in the lobby, all of whom looked good.She had some vague impressions of some people, while the other part were strangers she had never met before, "I heard that you also left Zui brothel, but why didn't you come to the school to be a teacher?"

Yanzi hesitated before replying, "Because I'm afraid of seeing you."

This answer stunned Liu Ruyan for a while, "We used to...were we not sisters?"

"Yeah, that's why I feel sorry for you." Yanzi scratched her head in embarrassment, "When you were locked up by the lady boss, I said bad things about you..."

Liu Ruyan stared at her for a while, "Did you think at that time that I didn't know good and bad, and I actually refuted Mr. Zhou's face, or that I wanted to become an official in the secretariat because of my whims?"

Yanzi couldn't help but bowed her head and punched her, "You really know everything!"

"I guessed it," Liu Ruyan couldn't help laughing, "Isn't that what everyone discusses in the Qingyuan Courtyard? I hope to get the favor of a beloved man, and Mr. Zhou is The kind of person who pretends to be good on the surface. If I didn't experience it personally, I'm afraid I would have the same idea as you, right?"

Yanzi raised her head unexpectedly, "...don't you blame me?"

"Well, it's all in the past, there's nothing to blame. If you have to say who is wrong, I think it should be the drunk brothel itself."

"I'm sorry..." Swallow whispered.

"I accept your apology." Liu Ruyan took two steps forward and hugged her gently.

"But having said that, do you know how jealous the other sisters were of you at that time?" Yanzi muttered suddenly after a moment of silence, "Just now, Mr. Zhou was so angry that he was received by Master Xia, and finally he really became a A wife, appeared on the stage with Her Royal Highness and others in the first class of the school. That day was also the day when Zui brothel suffered the most losses, nearly half of the sisters decided to find their own way out, and I heard that the proprietress passed out. "

"So there is such a thing?"

"Yeah, the people who laughed at you before ran faster than anyone else, of course... including me." Yanzi seemed to relax a lot, "When I just received the invitation from Master Xia, I was still thinking Good luck finally came to my turn, I didn't expect that there are so many girls he called, including you, it seems that I am being self-indulgent."

This obviously half-joking statement made Liu Ruyan laugh. Although she had a somewhat similar state of mind, after confirming that it was not the case, she felt more relaxed.

"Then do you want to be your teacher? The department is short of people recently."

"Forget it, I'm not interested in little ghosts." Yanzi separated from her, "It's annoying enough to hear them quarreling, let alone teach them. After leaving the drunken brothel, I found a job in a cloth shop Color work, you know, I usually like to paint."

"And she also plays the piano very well." Liu Ruyan nodded.

"Forget about the piano. After you don't need to please the guests, there should be no chance to play it again."

At this moment, there was a whisper among the women.