He had recently bought Li Feng a few drinks and knew that the man liked to drink.
Xie Yanshin knew the price of alcohol and, not knowing what kind of wine Wu Pingzhi drank, asked him about it.
The shop was so shabby, and the couple who ran it were dressed shabbily too. Wu Pingzhi didn’t order any wine or food, but invited Lu Liu to sit down and eat some buns.
“I’m a year older than Xie Yan. In terms of age, you should call me ‘brother.’ I won’t be polite either. Brother-in-law, please sit down. I came here in a hurry today and didn’t bring any gifts. Eating buns is fine.”
Xie Yan thought for a moment, remembering how Lu Yang doted on his younger brother, and decided to let Lu Liu stay and eat the buns.
Sitting here eating buns and drinking tea was better than going to the kitchen to cook. Up front, there were Lu Lin and Shazhu, and they weren’t much better off.
Lu Liu sat down, and Xie Yan took the initiative to start a conversation, asking Wu Pingzhi, “When did you come back?”
Wu Pingzhi replied, “Today.”
Xie Yan frowned, “Then why couldn’t you come tomorrow?”
Lu Liu widened his eyes.
What kind of question was that?
Wu Pingzhi remained unfazed, “The buns are quite tasty.”
Xie Yan smiled. Praising her husband was like praising him.
Lu Liu also smiled. Praising his brother was praising him.
Wu Pingzhi looked at their expressions and shook his head with a smile.
Hmph, they still love to hear praise.
He said, “I was afraid you had something urgent to do. You visit so often. We’ve known each other for so many years, but the number of times you’ve visited this month is more than all the other months combined.”
In the past, Xie Yan was a pure bookworm. At that time, Mr. Xie was still alive, and although the family was not wealthy, they had enough to eat and wear, and Xie Yan could read books. He would not go out for ten days or half a month. The two of them usually met at the academy and the study. I’ve been waiting for your sign. Look at the outside of the shop—it’s bare.”
Wu Pingzhi agreed; this was easy to arrange.
He had already said he would make a good sign to give to Xie Yan as a wedding gift. At the time, he had thought that after the wedding, with new people in the family, perhaps Xie Yan would have some prospects. This shop would be their new starting point.
He asked, “What’s the name of the shop?”
Xie Yan said, “Selling food.”
Wu Pingzhi didn’t press the matter. Before entering, he had seen the words “Selling food” written in red paper on the wall outside the shop.
Xie Yan also wanted to borrow a cart from him, something he had intended to discuss the day after his marriage to Lu Yang.
In the village, transportation was inconvenient. They were still using Shazhu’s donkey cart, but after the New Year, they wouldn’t have a cart to use.
Livestock cost several taels of silver, and making a cart also required silver. They couldn’t afford it for now.
Wu Pingzhi nodded as usual, “Alright, I’ll lend you a horse cart to use.”
Xie Yan smiled and thanked him sincerely, “You’re such a good person.”
Seeing that he had asked, Xie Yan didn’t hide anything: “I have something to ask of you.”
Wu Pingzhi had already finished two buns, but Xie Yan still hadn’t said what his big matter was, so he knew it wasn’t an urgent matter.
He said in a strange voice: “You want to ask me for something? Let me hear what it is.”
Xie Yan didn’t catch the sarcasm: “You’re asking me to go to school.”
Lu Liu choked on his words and looked at Wu Pingzhi in alarm.
He was afraid that this distinguished guest would storm off, leaving him without a cover story or a carriage!
Wu Pingzhi also choked on his words.
He said, “No, money is a minor issue. First, tell me what’s wrong with you? You weren’t like this before.”
Gold and silver—these mundane things—could never catch Xie Xiuci’s eye. He said that given their family’s situation, sending silver to them was like throwing it on the road—it would only cause a frenzy, and there was no need for it.
Lu Liu, seeing the distinguished guest hadn’t left, quietly chimed in: “Right.”
Wu Pingzhi thought for a moment. Any problem that could be solved with silver wasn’t really a problem.
He asked, “How much do you need?”
When asked how much, Lu Liu didn’t speak, instead taking small bites of the bun.
The buns were delicious, but they were meant to be sold, so he couldn’t eat too many. He took small bites, making one bun last a long time.
He looked serious and proper, and Lu Liu was amazed by his thick skin.
Wu Pingzhi finished four buns and stopped to drink tea.
He drank slowly, his thoughts racing. Considering the shop’s meager circumstances and the two young, introverted shop owners, it just didn’t seem right. In such a small space, they’d already hired two assistants.
He said subtly, “It’ll be tough for the two of you to make money with this shop.”
Xie Yan admitted it was hard on his own, but firmly supported his husband: “My husband is amazing!”
Lu Liu was startled by his loud voice and could only shout back, “I’m amazing too!”
Being talented isn’t just about shouting slogans.
Xie Yan quickly listed all the things Lu Yang had done since opening the shop, from negotiating and haggling over prices when he first started making buns, to saving money on costs.
When the shop first opened, it lacked foot traffic, so he started selling vegetables as a side business to make the shop more well-known.
He also negotiated prices with various shop owners and brought in many food and drink items not available on nearby streets to sell.
Lu Liu, being timid, was first startled by the mention of the charity organization, then by Wu Pingzhi’s gaze.
Wu Pingzhi’s surprise froze: “You seem very afraid.”
Lu Liu forced himself to remain calm: “No one said making money shouldn’t be scary.”
That makes sense.
To be able to come up with this idea while being afraid is impressive.
Lu Liu froze.
What could he say?
His brother hadn’t mentioned this.
What should he do? Why did he lie? What should he do now?
Xie Yan pulled Wu Pingzhi over: “Tell me.”
Wu Pingzhi teased him: “Can’t I tell my husband?”
Wu Pingzhi: “…”
Copying books is one of the ways scholars make money. The speed of writing and the accuracy of copying both affect the time it takes to complete a book and the speed of earning money.
If there was a single mistake on a page, it had to be rewritten. Being able to copy one book in a month was already impressive. Xie Yan was skilled at memorizing texts, saving time on this process. When writing, his thoughts flowed freely, and his pen moved like a dragon, allowing him to complete books extremely quickly. He could finish three or five books in a month.
Copying books has its costs. Labor and food expenses aside, even paper and ink alone are not cheap. Copying a single book, without accounting for other expenses, yields only three or five silver coins. That’s just three or five hundred cash coins. How much is that in a month?
