"The ink and paper in the printing shop... should be enough, right?" Shopkeeper Zhang muttered, putting down the countless "books" in his hand.
"Of course it's enough. We haven't opened a store in such a long time, how can we not have any inventory... Wait!" Zhang Yuan's eyes widened and he suddenly came back to his senses, "Uncle, what do you mean by asking this? Do you really want to Print this book?"
The shopkeeper nodded.
"But she didn't give any money!" Zhang Yuan emphasized, "You also told me that businessmen can't do business at a loss. How can a bookstore help print without charging money? In the past, those scholars and scholars who came to print poetry collections were all It costs money!”
"We can make money from books."
"Buy a book?" Zhang Yuan said in disbelief, "Uncle Xingxing, weren't all the books that could be sold in the past were collections of classics and must-read books to gain fame? How many people would be willing to pay for a book of proverbs? ?”
"It's not the past now." Shopkeeper Zhang shook his head. He had lived in the city for most of his life and was deeply touched by Jinxia's changes. Even just two or three years ago, most people could not read, and listening to books and watching plays were activities that only wealthy people could participate in. But nowadays, if you pick up a teenage boy on the street, he will more or less know a few words, and there are not a few who can even write them.
The increasing sales volume of Shenjin Weekly is proof of this.
Rather than waiting for others to spread word of mouth, buying a copy yourself to get a preview is now the most common choice for Jinxia people.
"Let's take a look first." But he was too lazy to say so much. Letting his nephew experience it for himself was worth a thousand words. What's more, Zhang Yuan is also a younger generation with basic education. If he is also attracted, it will be more proof of his inference.
…
Half an hour later, Zhang Yuan put down the book with a red face.
Seeing the shopkeeper looking at him, he coughed twice and said, "This book... is indeed extraordinary."
"You also think it will be a big hit?"
"If it can be printed in large quantities." Zhang Yuan could not deny this, but he still dissuaded him, "But you'd better not do that."
"How do you say that?" The shopkeeper frowned.
"Uncle, think about the people written in this book?"
"Xiji people, alchemists, and... prefects?"
"Don't you think it corresponds to the court?" Zhang Yuan showed a scared look, "Although Her Royal Highness the Princess replaced the government office with the Secretariat, it is still essentially the court. And the government in this book It is very similar to Jin Xia's affairs bureau, such as prohibiting human transactions, abolishing prostitution contracts, etc... And the most important point is that the description of this prefect is too similar to the image of Lord Xia circulated outside."
Shopkeeper Zhang suddenly woke up!
So that's the case, no wonder he always feels that the image of the prefect is familiar!
As the Prime Minister of the Affairs Bureau and the most trusted minister of Her Royal Highness, Xia Fan has two completely different reputations within Shenzhou and outside Shenzhou. The former has almost no criticism, and is regarded as a role model for all officials and the object of praise from the people, while the latter is a bit strange... for example, he has powerful abilities, thunderous desires, and also has an extraordinary interest in women. Since more and more outsiders have moved to Jinxia, such opinions have gradually spread in the streets and alleys. However, most locals regard it as a joke and no one really takes it to heart.
Shopkeeper Zhang has lived in Jinxia City all year round, so he only felt that the prefect looked familiar, but he did not expect a deeper level. Now when he was reminded by his nephew, he suddenly realized that this prefect was Xia Fan's popular image outside!
Especially in terms of his extraordinary ability and being quite favored by his superiors, he is almost exactly the same as Mr. Xia’s background!
The shopkeeper couldn't help but shrink his neck.
Although Xia Fan's name is not mentioned anywhere in the book, just as Zhang Yuan was worried, if the government is offended, who knows if they will find other reasons to torment the bookstore
But... give up like this
Shopkeeper Zhang was unwilling.
There is no doubt that this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
If it can be grasped, Fengming Bookstore will be expected to soar into the sky, instead of waiting to die like no one cares about it like it is now.
After a long silence, he slowly opened his mouth, "Go to Jinxia Bookstore."
This bookstore is a store jointly established by the Secretariat and two other bookstores. It is also the main publisher of Shenjin weekly newspapers and official letters.
"Uh, should I hand this book over to them?" Zhang Yuan scratched his head. This was a safe approach. After that, whether it was printed or destroyed, the Secretariat would decide on its own.
"No, you go buy the latest Jinxia Rules."
"Oh... no, uncle, why did you buy that?" Zhang Yuan said in surprise.
"I'm going to study it all night long." The shopkeeper replied in a desperate tone. "This book will be printed by Fengming Bookstore. In order to deal with possible risks, I have to prepare in advance."
"Ahem—" Zhang Yuan almost choked, "Do you expect to use Jinxia Law to fight against the government?"
"At least in the propaganda of the Secretariat, they emphasize that all affairs are carried out in accordance with the law." Shopkeeper Zhang said solemnly, "Although these people have bad origins, at least I have to admit that the Secretariat promises What I have done in the past has not been violated to this day.”
"What if they make an exception?" Zhang Yuan twitched the corner of his mouth.
"Then let me be the first!" the shopkeeper said word by word.
This bookstore is an ancestral business of the Zhang family.
Even if the final outcome is death, he still hopes to shine one last flame in the spotlight.
It was the first time that Zhang Yuan saw the shopkeeper showing such a solemn expression.
Compared to the middle-aged man sighing in front of the counter, his eyes at this moment seemed to be in his prime again.
"Okay," Zhang Yuan said helplessly, "but this book doesn't even have a name, and the plot has just begun. What are you going to do?"
"I have already thought about this." Shopkeeper Zhang was confident. "The fact that this person placed the manuscript at the door of our store proves that she also has expectations. If the book is popular, she will definitely send the subsequent parts. As for As for the title of the book... just take the first two characters of the author's name."
He paused and said, "This book is called "Flowers Blooming"."
…
Three days later, the tea doctors received a book they had never seen before. The word "flower bloom" on the cover and the inscription "Fengming Bookstore" on the front page were unique. This was the first time they had encountered a bookstore taking the initiative to donate books, but since there were new stories, they had to read them.
Anyway, as long as the other party is willing to pay, what kind of book can I not talk about
However, what Dr. Tea did not expect was that this book took only two days to dominate the teahouses of Jinxia City. The regular guests who came to drink tea and chat without exception asked them to continue telling the story of the blooming flowers. Those who kept their books on the shelf would be booed by the guests even when they came on stage.
But this is just the beginning.
Soon some people were not satisfied with just listening to Dr. Tea's slow narration, and they began to search for the source of the book on their own.
Fengming Bookstore immediately entered the public eye.