Wei Nian brought back a box of books, which made Chen Xuan very happy. Chen Xuan asked Wei Nian, "These are so many books, aren't they extras?"
"How can this be a bonus? I bought it with money." Wei Nian brought a box of books into the house and said to Chen Xuan, "You sort them out. When you have time, go to Uncle Xu for advice. Find out how old these books are and which ones are valuable and which ones are not. Sort them out."
"Hey! I'll go ask Aunt Xu tomorrow to see when Mr. Xu is free to ask for advice." Chen Xuan agreed readily. She opened the box and saw that the books were quite old. They looked like they hadn't seen the light of day for a long time. Some of the covers were worm-eaten. Chen Xuan couldn't help but feel sorry for them. She wiped them again and again with a handkerchief. "So many books, it must have cost a lot of money, right?"
"This isn't some rare or unique book. It's just an old book." Wei Nian took out a cigarette from his pocket, lit it and took a puff. "It's cold now, so I exchanged it for a fur coat."
"A fur coat for a box of books?" Chen Xuan didn't know if this deal was a good deal, but a fur coat was definitely not cheap.
Wei Nian casually brushed off the ash from his cigarette and laughed, "What a woman you are! I'm losing money by exchanging this box of books. This is the box that holds the books. It's made of good wood, genuine Huanghuali wood. If I add this box, I won't lose money."
Chen Xuan didn't know what kind of valuable wood Huanghuali was. She took out all the books in the box one by one and put them on the table. Then she took the box to the yard to wipe it. When she came back to the house, she said to Wei Nian, "That box is good. I took a closer look. It's all made of a whole board of material. It's heavy to hold. It's really good material."
"That's right." Wei Nian was extremely confident in his own vision. "It's a pity that people now regard Western-style sofas and Western furniture as good. Although the old furniture looks a bit outdated, this kind of material is rare. Huanghuali was a good material that only wealthy families could use in the past. This box was not originally a book box. Book boxes are generally made of camphor wood, which is not worm-infested. However, camphor wood is not as valuable as Huanghuali. Take out this box and put whatever you want in it. It will be good for our own use."
“If it can be sold for money, then sell it. It doesn’t matter what you use.” In fact, it has to be said that Chen Xuan and the Wei family have some fate, because no matter what, Chen Xuan always puts the ability to sell for money first.
"Just use it. It's just a single wooden box. It doesn't come in a set or a pair. It's worth only a few dollars." Wei Nian waved his hand and put out the cigarette in his hand. Chen Xuan washed her hands, poured him a cup of tea, sat at the table on the kang, and asked Wei Nian, "Why did you get so many books this time?"
Wei Nian took a sip of water. "Isn't this for dealing with nerds? When giving gifts, you should always give them what they like. Besides, you also like reading. I just happened to see these books, so I might as well take them home and read them slowly."
Chen Xuan is a book lover. She nodded quickly and said, "I'll listen to Brother Anian."
The next day, Chen Xuan saw that the sun was bright, so she moved the books out to the yard to dry them. Things that were infested with insects needed to be dried frequently. Wei Jin saw so many books and asked about them. When Chen Xuan said that Wei Nian brought them back for business, Wei Jin lost interest and took a chair from the west side room to knit a sweater while basking in the sun.
Seeing that there were quite a lot of books, Li and Wei Yin helped Chen Xuan put the books in the sun to dry.
Chen Xuan also discussed with Li that she wanted to go out with Li today. She wanted to buy some insect repellent. The books had to be put in the box after drying. She was afraid that insects would regrow. She had to buy some insect repellent. Li agreed readily. Wei Yin also loved going out, so they agreed to go together. If everyone was going, it would be bad to leave Wei Jin behind. When Wei Yin asked about it, Wei Jin glanced at the three of them and said, "You are all poor guys. If I go out with you and no one pays for me, I won't go."
Well, it doesn't matter if Wei Jin doesn't go. The person Chen Xuan dislikes the most is Wei Jin.
This time when she went out, in addition to buying insect medicine, Chen Xuan also went to the bookstore and bought fifty cents of white paper. It was so cheap, fifty cents for a piece of paper. Although the paper was not as good as the hard cover notebook, the paper was just as useful, and most importantly, it was cheap!
Chen Xuan decided that she would buy the paper herself and not bother Wei Nian anymore.
After buying the insect medicine, Chen Xuan went to the Xu family to ask. Mr. Xu was at home when he had nothing to do. When he heard that Wei Nian had bought a lot of old books, there was no need for Chen Xuan to bring the books over. Mr. Xu came in person to read the books.
Chen Xuan was very flattered. Wei Yinxiang had good eyesight and made tea first. But Master Xu didn't care about this. He squatted in the yard and read books one by one. He was a man with great knowledge of books. Basically, he could tell the year of each book just by looking at it. As Master Xu was talking, Chen Xuan was afraid that she would forget, especially such an important matter. Chen Xuan took out her hard cover notebook and wrote down the names of the books. Master Xu saw that Chen Xuan wrote very skillfully and smiled, "Second Young Madam's handwriting is very neat."
Chen Xuan smiled, "It's just that I haven't written enough. If I practice more, I can get better."
Mr. Xu laughed and Wei Jin rolled his eyes, thinking that this country girl was really sincere. She took Mr. Xu's words of courtesy seriously!
Mr. Xu had read these books and told Chen Xuan about their general types. In the end, he borrowed two books. Chen Xuan was very generous and allowed Mr. Xu to borrow them. After sorting out the books that had been exposed to the sun, Chen Xuan put them back into the rosewood box. Although it was not a bookcase, such a good box was the most suitable for storing books.
Chen Xuan was concerned about the salon, and showed Wei Nian the classification of the old books she had sorted that day. Wei Nian took a look and picked out an old book from the Qing Dynasty, asking Chen Xuan to find it. Chen Xuan knew that Wei Nian was trying to build a relationship with the learned gentlemen in the salon, so she couldn't help but say, "Mr. Xu said this book is the youngest, and there is also a Ming edition, why don't you take that one?" Although Chen Xuan was also a meticulous person, she was willing to give away things to build a relationship with learned people. She had given Mr. Xu an old book from the Ming Dynasty before.
Wei Nian smiled, "Giving gifts to people is also a matter of etiquette. Dealing with intellectuals is different from dealing with officials and businessmen. We are not asking for expensive gifts. We are just getting to know each other. If you give someone something too expensive the first time, they will suspect that you are asking for something. So, if you want to play the long game and slowly interact with them, you have to be calm. We want to have some dealings with them, but this does not mean being inferior to them. The most important thing when interacting with people is not to be servile, but to hold your head high. We are all equal. We are giving books because we respect their knowledge, but in terms of personality, no one is inferior to anyone else, and no one is superior to anyone else. Do you understand?"
Chen Xuan thought about it and said honestly, "I don't quite understand it yet, but when I listen to it, I feel that it makes a lot of sense. No wonder you used to dislike me for bowing my head and always scold me. I have to remember what you said, and think about it carefully."
"That's right." Although Chen Xuan is a little clumsy, she is willing to learn. The reason why Wei Nian is willing to teach Chen Xuan foreign languages every day and is willing to give her guidance when encountering problems is because of Chen Xuan's humble and studious attitude.
Although Wei Nian didn't read much, he was good at business and flexible. After Chen Xuan copied the book for a copy, he personally took the book to visit Mr. Wen. It was rare for Wei Nian, who didn't read much, to have a good conversation with a cultural celebrity like Mr. Wen.
Wei Nian smiled, "I got this book the other day. I don't read much usually, so this book is like a pearl thrown into the dark when I have it in my house. Sir, you are very knowledgeable, and it is not a waste of the book to have it in your hands." Yes, the four-character idiom "a pearl thrown into the dark" is indeed very good.
Mr. Wen saw that it was an old book, so he took it and flipped through it. "A smart person like you should read more books."
"I never thought about studying before, but after I met you, I started to think about continuing my studies. My wife, upon hearing of your name, admires you very much. She even said that she envied me so much for meeting a scholar like you."
Everyone loves to hear good words. Although Mr. Wen is over 40 years old and has a great reputation in the cultural circle, he couldn't help but smile when he heard this. "You two, if you are free, just come over."
"That's great. She is very studious, but she is a little shy. If it weren't for Mr. Wen's place, I would not feel comfortable bringing her here." Wei Nian was not the type to play the victim, but thinking of Chen Xuan's simple nature, even if he didn't tell her, someone like Mr. Wen would be able to guess Chen Xuan's basic knowledge after just one look. Wei Nian changed his expression to one of pity, "We just got married last year. She didn't go to school in the countryside before. The knowledge she has now is all self-taught after coming to Beijing. Now she is learning English with me. She is very studious and studies until late at night every night. Mr. Wen's place is full of knowledgeable people, and I think her knowledge must be shallow."
"The depth of knowledge does not lie in how much one has studied. Your wife is very remarkable. Nowadays, many old-fashioned women have been taught by the traditional nonsense that women are virtuous if they have no talent. Even if there is new culture, they are not willing to listen or see it. Not to mention taking the initiative to learn like your wife, sometimes, even if you advise them to look outside, they are unwilling. They are the victims of this world, pitiful and lamentable. If there are more people like your wife who are willing to take the initiative to learn, I don't know how much the tragedy of old-fashioned women can be reduced." Mr. Wen sighed for a while, and said to Wei Nian very happily, "You can bring your wife here, we welcome you anytime." Thinking that Wei Nian might be more willing to attend the next salon party, Mr. Wen smiled and said, "Next time, I will write a letter to invite you personally."
"No, no, you are too polite, sir." Wei Nian smiled, "I will tell her when I get back. She will be very happy."
Mr. Wen couldn't help but smile. His original impression of Wei Nian was that of a smart young man. Moreover, Wei Nian was dressed in a Western style and had good manners and conversation. He didn't expect that Wei Nian was from an old-fashioned marriage. What made Mr. Wen look at Wei Nian differently was his attitude towards old-fashioned marriage. He didn't have the complaining and indifferent attitude that is common nowadays. Instead, he was positive and optimistic. Mr. Wen liked Wei Nian very much for this and even asked him to stay and talk to him for a few more words.
When Wei Nian went home and informed Chen Xuan of the news, Chen Xuan was happy at the same time, but also worried at the same time. She was happy that she could actually attend the salon party, but she was worried because she didn't have much education, and she heard that there were many great scholars there, so she felt a little unconfident. However, compared to the time when she would ask "Can I make it?", although Chen Xuan was still a little unconfident, she would not ask Wei Nian this question again. Chen Xuan calmed herself down and said to Wei Nian, "Brother Nian, just tell me when you are going. I am ready."
Wei Nian nodded in satisfaction, "Mr. Wen's salon is once a month, so it will be next month, so there's no need to rush."
"Well, then Brother Anian, can you tell me about Mr. Wen's personality and so on?" When you visit someone's home, you naturally have to get to know the host better.
Wei Nian thought for a moment, "Mr. Wen is in his forties. He is well-educated. He was one of the earliest students to study in Japan. He is very sensible and knowledgeable. You don't have to worry. I haven't read many books. Mr. Wen is very kind to me."
Chen Xuan silently took note of it, but Wei Nian reminded her, "By the way, when we get to the salon, you can't call me husband. Nowadays, modern people call their husbands sir."
"Mr." Chen Xuan was surprised. "Doesn't Mr. mean old master? Nowadays, everyone in school calls Mr. "teacher."
"This is different from the gentleman in the school." Wei Nian said, "Like before, when I talked about you with outsiders, I would say my wife. Now Western-style people all say my wife, my madam, and when they talk about their husbands, they say my husband. This is fashionable."
Chen Xuan summed it up, "Is it true that when talking to Westerners, we should call them Mr. and Mrs., and when talking to traditional people, we should call them wife and husband."
"Smart!" Wei Nian applauded and praised Chen Xuan.
Chen Xuan smiled, "Stop laughing at me." Then she thought, it seems that this salon is indeed a place where people can broaden their horizons. Brother Nian broadened the horizons of the husband and wife after going there once, and also met a big shot like Mr. Wen who had studied abroad.
Chen Xuan thought about it and became even more eager to attend the salon.
After the salon was finalized, Chen Xuan took out the foreign language books she was going to read from the drawer and said solemnly, "Brother Anian will teach me five more foreign words today." Worried that Wei Nian would not be willing, Chen Xuan added thoughtfully, "I have to study hard so that I won't lose face for Brother Anian when I go out with him, right?"
What could Brother Nian say? He could only helplessly say, "Yes, yes." He wondered if Chen Xuan's mind was focused on studying. She became smart and good at flattering when talking about studying.
Chen Xuan was very happy to see that Brother Anian had agreed to teach her five more foreign words today. She told Brother Anian some of her thoughts, "Brother Anian, you are so good to me. I have something I want to remind you of."
"What's up?"
Chen Xuan straightened her face very seriously and said to Wei Nian, "Brother Anian, it has been several months since you learned foreign languages. Apart from teaching me foreign languages at night, you haven't read any books. Brother Anian, you are such a smart person, you should read more books. You didn't read any of the books you bought. When I learn foreign languages, I will surpass you. You are so smart, but I surpassed you. How embarrassing. So, I think you should read more books and study when you have time."
The author has something to say: ps: The second update is here, good night~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~