I opened a bookstore in ancient times

In early spring and February, there was no sound of rain at night.

Fang warmed up for a few days, but in the evening it began to rain again.It was still very cold at night, and the rain was not heavy, but it continued, arousing layers of chills.

The slanting wind and drizzle fell on the Qingshi Road in Songyun Lane.There are slight signs of spring, and the moss has quietly stained the old stone bricks for many years.When the rain came, the road became more slippery.

The visitor rushed into the alley in a hurry, and when he was caught off guard, he made the thin moss stagger.

Fortunately, the house he was looking for was at the entrance of the alley. Holding a lantern, he quickly sorted out some rough clothes and knocked on the door of the shop in front of him.

Su's bookstore.

The spring night is lonely, and the knock on the door is in the quiet rainy night, showing a bit of anxiety.

It was late at night, but the owner of Su's Bookstore didn't seem to be asleep. After a while, there was the sound of footsteps, accompanied by a question: "Who is it?"

"I'm bothering Boss Su, it's me, Xu Ze."

There was a sound of unlocking the door, and with a creak, the bookstore's mottled mahogany door opened, revealing a frail and fair young face.

Su Yao was wearing an azure cloak and was holding an old candlestick. The flickering candlelight reflected his pair of dark eyes, as black as black jade, but they didn't look deep, but they were extraordinarily gentle and kind.

When he saw the person at the door, he was slightly puzzled: "Mr. Xu came late at night, this is..."

"To be honest, I have to bother Boss Su with something, and disturb Boss Su's rest. Please forgive me."

Xu Ze ran all the way in a hurry, his clothes were completely wet, his temple hair was stained with rain, and it was still stuck to his forehead in a mess.

When the night wind blew, Su Yao couldn't help shivering, and hurriedly asked him: "What's the matter? Come back on a rainy day, sir, come in and tell me."

"No need." Xu Ze said in a hurried tone, with a haggard look on his face, "I'll make a long story short, my family sent an urgent letter overnight, saying that my grandfather was seriously ill, calling me to return to my hometown to take care of the sick. My grandfather is old, and I'm afraid this time... ..."

There were two or three sad looks in his eyes, and then he covered them up in a flash: "I don't know when I'll be back after this trip. I'm here to bid farewell to Boss Su, and by the way... the sixth volume of "Jiang Hai Listening to Chao Ke" signed last time, [-] I'm afraid I won't be able to have it a month ago. I know that the contract has an appointment first, and I..."

Xu Ze looked hesitant, and his voice became lower and lower, but Su Yao said at this moment: "It's okay, it's okay, the family is a big deal, and Mr. Xu will take care of it first. The liquidated damages on the contract, sir, don't care about it."

Xu Ze has always known that among all the bookstores in the old capital, Boss Su is the most reasonable and easy to speak, but he never expected that this trip, the words can be spoken so smoothly.

He was in short supply, so he was waived of a large liquidated damages, so he was naturally grateful.He paused for a moment, and couldn't find many good things to say because his words were dull, so he had to solemnly promise: "Don't worry, Boss Su, Xu will definitely get out the booklet you should send as soon as possible. When it's done, I'll send it to Boss Su."

Su Yao nodded slightly, only said: "No rush." ​​Then said: "Mr. Xu, wait a moment."

Seeing him enter, Xu Ze stuffed a coarse cloth money bag into his hand when he came back.

Xu Ze quickly declined: "Boss Su, this..."

Su Yao said warmly: "The shop has been with Mr. Xu for many years, and Su can barely be regarded as a friend of Mr. Mr. Grandpa is ill, so I will do my best. Don't refuse, Mr.

Xu Ze raised his head, facing Su Yao's clear and warm eyes.

Mostly because he had a kind face, he could do things like donating money without making people feel so embarrassed.

Xu Ze sells calligraphy and writing for a living, and has never had much money. With this money, at least he will not have to worry about the travel expenses back home.

He was very grateful again in his heart, but because of his temper and face, he only bowed deeply.

Su Yao hurriedly avoided: "The mountain is high and the water is far away, Mr. Xu has a safe journey."

Xu Ze looked at his slender and frail figure, stared blankly for a moment, then looked away, hesitated for a while, and said in a low voice: "Xu will definitely return to the old capital, Boss Su... Take care."

After all, he ran away again in the rain.

Behind him, Qi Bo just came over with an umbrella: "My lord, do you still want to deliver the umbrella?"

"Forget it." Su Yuanyuan glanced at him and saw that he was nowhere to be seen, so he could only say, "Mr. Xu's family is in a hurry, so he ran away for a long time."

He closed the door and turned around to shut out the dampness and chill.Bright candles were burning in the shop, and the rain outside the window was dense and drizzling, and the lights seemed to be smudged with layers of water vapor.

On several rows of bookshelves as high as a person, there are neatly arranged books, ranging from classics and historical classics to drama and picture books.

Qi Bo extinguished the candles on the bookshelf all the way, leaving only one on the counter, moved a little farther, and pushed another ginger soup: "My lord was caught in the wind just now, drink some and then settle the accounts."

"It's so delicate." Su Yao smiled, but put down the pen and paper as he said, and drank ginger soup.

Qi Bo looked at him and smiled: "Young Master, I didn't like ginger soup the most before."

That's because it wasn't me in the previous shell.

Everyone didn't know that Su Yao came here through books.

The original owner with the same name and surname was weak and suffering from a cough, and died of illness in the capital when he went to Beijing to wait for the exam.

Su Yao had a car accident when he was off the night shift, and as soon as he opened his eyes, he was transmigrated into the novel he had just finished reading the night before.

It can be regarded as saving a life.

Su Yao drank the porcelain cup in one gulp, and smiled: "I used to not care enough about my body, but now I understand."

Hearing this, Qi Bo sighed: "Young master is determined to test his fame, but it's a pity that this body is a drag, otherwise he would have been slaughtered for an official long ago."

The old people have an unusually thick filter for the children they have watched and grown up since childhood.

It's not impossible to think about being a Jinshi in high school, but the original owner was born in a merchant and has no family background, so it may not be so easy to struggle in the court.

Su Yao didn't know why the original owner died of illness, but when he woke up and turned to his diary, he saw that the last page read——

"Living in Beijing is not easy. The ups and downs of the officialdom, the repeated coldness of people's hearts, especially frighten me. Now I only regret the neglect of my ancestral property in the early years, and look forward to returning to my hometown as soon as possible, reviving my ancestral property, and living a peaceful life."

The original owner probably passed away before returning home.

When Su Yao read this, he felt full of regret.The ancestral property mentioned by the original owner is two or three Susukida, and this bookstore.

So he quickly packed his bedroll, and quickly went home to raise the original owner's body.

Since staying outside is not pleasant, let's go back.

It's just that he couldn't lie down to eat and drink for too long.

Because the original owner's family background is really not that rich.

The candles flickered, making the room dim.Su Yao checked the accounts with a pen and paper, and sighed softly.

Qi Bo pushed him another plate of plum cake: "Young master, fill your stomach and then count."

This plum blossom cake is steamed. The snow-white and sweet glutinous rice flour is wrapped in the sugar-preserved plum blossom filling, and it is made into exquisite five-petal flowers, which are extraordinarily small and stacked on a celadon plate.

Su Yao took a sip, and said "uh": "Too much sugar." Then smiled: "Ah Yan went to play in the kitchen again?"

"No, it was sent by Mrs. Zhu next door." Qi Bo smiled, "My son has been in the capital for two years, and his tongue has become more and more tricky."

Before Su Yao came in, she was a cook.

The craftsmanship is not bad, and the natural taste is sensitive.

Su Yao tasted one, thanked Mrs. Zhu, and said: "It's not that I don't let Ah Yan enter the kitchen, it's just that he is smoky. He is only in his early ten years old, so he can't take care of it for a while, so don't let anything happen."

Qi Bo responded, and laughed again: "Ah Yan has been getting more and more busy recently - the young master said last time that he would be sent to the academy, and in order to prepare for the small entrance examination next month, he would not leave the door after studying the books. Never been."

Hearing this, Su Yao sighed slightly again.

The tuition fees for sending children to study have not yet been settled.

Ah Yan was a servant Qi Bo bought during his stay in Beijing.

The Su family is thin, with very few relatives, and Su Yao has only him and Qi Bo and this child here.

After Su Yao came back, seeing that he was young and pitiful and could read some words, he tried to get him out of slavery.And under the influence of the nine-year compulsory education, I feel that all children have to be sent to study.

It took a lot of money to run up and down when I left my citizenship, and now I have to go to school again.

Su Yao lowered his head and checked the ledger again.

Again, the money has not changed much.

Qibo came over: "What's the matter? Is there a problem with the account?"

problem?

Su Yao counted for him: "Our bookstore has signed the manuscripts of eleven gentlemen. These three have not been selling well, let alone—"

He ticked it off, and then said: "Mr. Liu, Mr. Sheng, and Mr. Chen are old, and the manuscripts are slow to come out. It doesn't matter if you come again after the spring warms up."

He crossed out six people at once, and continued: "For the remaining five, Mr. Gu is sick, Mr. Shen is busy continuing, and Mr. Xu's family has something to do. Now there are only two left—"

Su Yao's head was bald with worry: "These two gentlemen are the only ones who earn money. Can we survive until the spring returns?"

Qi Bo was silent for a moment: "... Pork is very expensive these days, so it's okay to eat less meat."

As a cook and foodie, a world without pork is incomplete.

Saving money is depressing.

Qi Bo paused, but then said: "...Young Master, we may not even be able to rely on the two gentlemen."

"Huh?" Su Yao shivered.

Qi Bo slid his chubby finger across the account and circled the words "Mr. Fu".

Su Yao seemed to have been struck by lightning, and suddenly woke up.

Mr. Fu, whose pen name is Mr. Hetai, is a peerless pigeon.

The text is very well written.

The overdue draft was done very smoothly.

Qi Bo was very tactful: "I think Mr. Hetai's manuscript will probably not be handed in by the end of February."

Su Yao: "Be more confident and remove most of them."

According to experience, for Mr. Fu, the date set in the contract is the same as his family property, that is, a number.

Since Su Yao came back last year, he has signed contracts with Fu Gezi four times.

The first time was a month late.

The second time it was submitted a month and a half late.

The third time I was late for one and a half months, and only ten chapters were handed in.

Su Yao asked, Mr. Fu directly sent someone to throw liquidated damages on his face.

the fourth time……

If it weren't for Fu's surname not to smash the liquidated damages without blinking an eye, it would be impossible for Su Yao to sign with him for the fourth time.

This time, the deed has been signed since the twelfth lunar month of last year. In the new article, only twenty chapters were signed in three months.

But it's also possible that it won't be delivered.

Humans are pigeons after all.

Rich pigeons are more difficult to deal with.

Speaking of which, in business, people always pay attention to sympathy, and liquidated damages are just for fun, and they are actually not very much.And Mr. Hetai's writing is good, if it can be printed into a book, it will make more money.

Su Yao imagined braised meat sauce elbows, sweet and sour pork ribs, cold pork ears, stir-fried fat intestines, oily pork, fried pork, fish-flavored shredded pork, and imagined a world without them.

The night rain is getting worse.

Su Yao made a decision angrily, and went to Fu Dagezi's house tomorrow to urge the manuscript.