Of course, what attracts Zhou Yusheng the most is not the hut in this bookstore. After all, he is a scholar. No matter how bad his hut is, he can't possibly dislike it, right?
What makes Zhou Yusheng most satisfied are the books in this bookstore. They directly put the imperial examination books aside, and put ten books of each kind outside. Especially the key books, it is even more direct.
Put them in a row for everyone's convenience.
When you take a book, you don't have to stand there to read it. You can just find a table and sit down and read it.
Because the bookstore had just opened not long ago, I knew that there were not many people in this bookstore, and many seats in the bookstore were vacant. Zhou Yusheng could find a seat just by looking.
As soon as he sat down, his classmate poked his arm and asked him to look to the side.
Zhou Yusheng turned his head and saw a patched scholar. It was none other than the poorest scholar in their academy - Ye Maosheng.
Zhou Yusheng had two older brothers to support him and lived in the city, but Ye Maosheng was different. He came from the countryside. It is said that their family used the whole family's efforts to support him alone.
If it weren't for the accommodation provided by his husband, Ye Maosheng would have no books to read.
Zhou Yusheng walked over and said hello to him.
Ye Maosheng raised his head and saw that it was him, his face instantly turned red: "Zhou...Brother Zhou..."
"You come here to read too?"
"Well! There is a charcoal fire here..." Ye Maosheng admitted sheepishly that he came here purely because of the charcoal fire here.
The weather was cold, his clothes were thin, and he had to complete so many homework assignments from his teacher that his hands were frozen, but it was different here. There was a charcoal fire.
Even though he was reluctant to pay for the pen and ink to copy the books, he could come here to "endorse" them. Anyway, the books that the teacher wanted him to memorize were also available here. It only cost two coins at a time, and he could read them for a whole day without going out.
"It seems that we have the same goal." Zhou Yusheng smiled. He pointed to his classmates and said that they introduced him here. Otherwise, he would not know when such a good bookstore opened in Jinling.
It's just a pity that he just found out today and didn't bring anything to eat, fearing that he wouldn't be able to survive the night.
But it doesn't matter, being able to stay for most of the day is already an advantage. He can go again tomorrow...
After Zhou Yusheng finished speaking in a low voice, Ye Maosheng whispered to him that he had brought a lot, and if Zhou Yusheng didn't mind, he could lend Zhou Yusheng two steamed buns.
"I originally wanted to have it for dinner..."
Zhou Yusheng: "..."
No, what time do you plan to stay?
No, what time does this bookstore close?
…
Before Yao's Bookstore became popular, it first attracted poor scholars who lived nearby.
Speaking of this, I have to say that the location of the mansion that the Yao family in Jinling chose for the Yao family in the capital was a coincidence. There happened to be a courtyard for sale here (the Yao Mansion where Gu Qingling and the others currently live), and Yao Deyi came to check it out.
, bought it immediately.
Although this is not the bustling area of Jinling, it is not far from there. It is just a matter of walking a few streets.
Of course, this is not the point. The point is that there is an academy here, but this academy is a private academy and is not very famous.
Its students are mainly local gentry, with a few poor scholars occasionally.
As for those who have power and momentum, they will not come here to study. Therefore, in the streets and alleys not far from Yao's house, some families have cleared out their yards and rented them to poor scholars.
In other words, the reading atmosphere here is much better than other places in Jinling. After all, there is an academy here, unlike the Fireworks Alley at the other end of Jinling, tsk tsk tsk...
There are many noble people there, but most of them are playboys.
After Gu Qingling moved in, it was so quiet because of the geographical location.
"So, those who come to bookstores to study now are all poor scholars?"
A few days after the opening, Gu Qingling received a customer list from Mo Shu. At this time, people did not have such a strong sense of privacy. She said that people entering her bookstore must register, so they registered honestly.
Where, what is your name, age group...
Gu Qingling glanced at it and probably knew it in her heart.
"Yes, Old Lady." Mo Shu lowered his head and said respectfully, "Now that it's getting colder today, those poor scholars are reluctant to use carbon at home, and there is a Baishan Academy next to them, so when they heard that there was a nearby
Tan Huo, a bookstore where reading is very cheap, people spread the word to the store..."
Because time is still very short, and not everyone can afford carbon at home, so there are not many people coming to the bookstore now, only about ten people every day.
It seems like a lot of people came here, but they all came here to rub the coals and didn’t buy any books, which means...
A dozen or so people paid three to forty coppers a day, which was not even enough for a pot of charcoal fire. If Gu Qingling continued like this, he was afraid of losing money this winter.
"Not a single person buying the book?"
"Yes, relatively few." Mo Shu explained that most of the people who come to the store to study at present are students from Baishan Academy. They came after word of mouth.
Since this group of people are already studying in academies, they basically have all the books they need. Unless they get some more attractive books, it will be difficult to stimulate their desire to consume.
Zhou Yusheng and Ye Maosheng saw such a good book, wouldn’t they want to buy it?
I would like to, but I have no money.
Moreover, it takes days to come to the bookstore every day to read. At first glance, it only costs 2 copper coins per day, but after a long period of accumulation and reading for a month or two, the money is enough for them to buy a book.
They come here just to save money on fuel and are really reluctant to spend extra money...
"My servant has gone to see it personally. Some of them should end up next year. It is the time when they need to save money to prepare for the county examination, and they are not too generous..." Mo Shu really wanted to remind the old lady that in fact, Yao's Bookstore
It's really not a good habit to open at this time.
The best time to really open the business should be during the county examination in February next year.
As soon as the county examination is over and the list of county government offices is posted, it will definitely stimulate many people to work hard, and more people will buy books by then.
"It's okay. I'm only opening a bookstore at this time to do good deeds. I can still afford the money..." What Gu Qingling didn't say was that she deliberately chose to open a bookstore at this time just to accumulate fame.
In order to deal with the troubles caused by the Yao family in Jinling, Uncle Yao was severely blamed and his reputation was ruined. Although it spread to the capital, Emperor Mingguang issued an imperial edict praising Uncle Yao for his "righteousness to destroy relatives" and "loyalty to the emperor and patriotism".
, but it still left people with the impression of being "cold and ruthless" and "digging their own ancestral graves". No matter what, Gu Qingling wanted to gain some fame for Uncle Yao.
It doesn't matter about the aristocratic family, it has no influence on Uncle Yao, but Uncle Yao is a scholar, will take the imperial examination in the future, and is about to take this path. If his reputation is bad, it will be troublesome.
If it weren't for Emperor Mingguang's imperial decree, Uncle Yao almost didn't even get a place in the county examination.
Compared with the money spent on finding people to promote Uncle Yao's reputation, or giving out porridge, sacrificing incense and doing good deeds, Gu Qingling felt that the few pots of charcoal money spent in the bookstore were really nothing.
What's more, if they are all going to die next year, maybe some of them will become Uncle Yao's colleagues in the future. It is also good to become familiar faces in advance and let the other party have an impression.
