Looking at the shopkeeper's eyes, Zhuang Keqing knew what he was thinking, but she was not worried at all. She just smiled and said, "Are you talking about the Zhao Mansion on Quanshui Street?"
"Yes, yes."
Before the meeting, the girl mentioned how familiar the Zhao family was, and the shopkeeper inexplicably believed what he just said.
"We happened to know the young master Zhao Changsheng from the Zhao Mansion on Quanshui Street. The young master is open-minded and sincere in his treatment of others. There is no distinction between high and low. It was with his help that my husband was fortunate enough to copy this "Collected Commentary"."
His face did not change and his heart did not beat when he told a lie.
The shopkeeper nodded thoughtfully.
Seeing that the other party accepted this explanation, Zhuang Keqing breathed a sigh of relief. She took the opportunity to secretly glance at Shen Ling and found that he was looking at her, with some disapproval in his eyes, and his body trembled for no reason.
When it came to Zhao Changsheng, the shopkeeper believed most of it.
Because Young Master Zhao doesn't come back often, there are really not many people in this town who know him. Since this girl mentioned him, it's not likely to be a lie.
In addition, although these two people are from poor families, they are acquainted with the Zhao family and can borrow books in private. It seems that there is something special about this young man.
When the shopkeeper thought of this, he felt much relieved, and his face became more considerate.
"I saw that the handwriting on the manuscript was beautiful and smooth, and there were no mistakes or omissions. It was of high quality, so I accepted it. How about a price of 700 yuan?"
In order to make good friends with others, the price the shopkeeper offered was much higher than what the waiter said before.
"Thank you very much." Shen Ling nodded with a calm expression.
The shopkeeper took the book behind the counter and put it away. He planned to put it on a decent cover later. Then he counted seven hundred words and pushed it over.
"Count."
Zhuang Keqing stepped forward and put the coins in his pocket. As he put them in his pocket, he said, "You don't need to count. We trust the shopkeeper to do his job."
The shopkeeper also smiled. This girl looks ordinary, but her mouth is very sweet.
After Zhuang Keqing finished collecting the money, he asked again: "Are you still collecting books from now on?"
"Collect it, collect it all. I see that my little husband is copying very quickly and well. If you are willing, I can also look for you when new books come to the store."
They were looking for someone to copy the book, and the shopkeeper didn't mind giving some convenience to this farmer who had some relationship with the Zhao family.
"That's a good thing, aren't you right, Aling?"
Zhuang Keqing looked back at Shen Ling, who was standing in front of the bookshelf, flipping through a book in her hand. Hearing her call him, he turned around, nodded, and said "hmm".
"Thank you very much, shopkeeper. Do you still need this "Collected Notes" now? I think these gentlemen seem to have copied this book."
After Zhou Qian and the others read the book copied by Shen Ling, they returned to the table and continued copying. Seeing that they were not listening to what was going on outside the window, they were also working hard.
"The shop still needs to collect more. To be honest, girl, this "Collected Commentary" was compiled by a great scholar in Beijing. It has unique insights into the words of the sages and is very unique. I heard that in the last academic examination, there was a person who passed the examination many times. The students who failed the exam are the scholars who passed the exam after reading this book."
Zhuang Keqing nodded.
"In that case, we will send you the manuscript again in a few days. You, the shopkeeper, must accept it."
"That's right. This book is rare. You can't grab the printed version. It's worth keeping more handwritten copies in the store."
After making an appointment with the shopkeeper to deliver books in the next few days, she took Shen Ling and left.
"Why do you say it was Zhao Mansion that lent us the book?"
After leaving the bookstore and walking for a while, Shen Ling asked.
His voice was slightly deep, almost drowned out by the hawking sounds of the surrounding vendors.
But Zhuang Keqing heard it.
"Aling, I'm sorry."
Shen Ling saw from the corner of his eye that the girl walking beside him stopped, turned slightly sideways, lowered her head and did not dare to look at herself. She seemed a little annoyed and lost.
"I didn't think much about it just now, so I just casually interjected and almost revealed the things that you have never forgotten. That's why I made up those words and coaxed the shopkeeper so that he wouldn't ask any more questions."
Shen Ling naturally understood this. But it was clearly not what he was angry about, but he didn't know why he asked like this just now.
Looking at the girl's slightly drooped neck and slumped shoulders, she suddenly felt some regret in her heart.
I don't blame you, it's just...
The arm at his side was raised, his slender fingers moved, and he vaguely touched the other person's hair, but in the end he did not touch it.
Sighing, he put down his hand.
It's just that I'm a little jealous.
Just now, Zhuang Keqing explained to the shopkeeper again that although Shen Ling was reading a book nearby, he heard the conversation between the two clearly.
She smiled and spoke warmly of Mr. Zhao, and since she really arrived at the Zhao Mansion to deliver goods today, he had to guess that Zhuang Keqing really knew this Zhao Changsheng, and had some friendship with him.
He didn't blame her for coaxing the shopkeeper. He just said such words for no reason and in a fit of jealousy, which hurt her heart.
"Don't do this again."
Shen Ling wanted to explain, but in the end, what he said out loud was just such calm words.
"Um."
Zhuang Keqing agreed, but his mood was extremely low. After that, he had no intention of hunting for goods and lost his lively appearance.
When he left the city gate, the girl beside him was still depressed and didn't speak. Shen Ling felt regretful, but he really didn't know what to do to make people happier.
He deeply hated his inexplicable jealousy.
Zhang Da arrived at the city gate early and had rested for a long time. He was chatting with the porters beside him and waiting for someone.
Seeing Zhuang Keqing and Shen Ling coming from a distance, he stood up and started waving to them.
Shen Ling nodded to him, but Zhuang Keqing only walked with his head lowered and didn't see him at all.
Something is wrong, why is this girl so downcast? Could it be that she was bullied?
With his eyes wide open, he felt something was wrong, so he asked the porter next to him to look after the car and stepped forward to meet him.
"Girl, what's wrong?"
Zhuang Keqing was still thinking about how to coax Shen Ling so that he would not be angry with him, but when he looked up, Uncle Zhang was already in front of him.
"Uncle Zhang?" She twitched her lips, "We've finished our work, let's go back right away. Where is your car parked?"
What's going on?
Zhang Da's inquiring eyes circled around Shen Ling's face, but the other party just turned his head away, as if he was looking for something, and said nothing.
Could it be that these two had a quarrel?
"The car is right next to the city gate, come with me." Zhang Da thought in his mind, but it was hard to ask, so he could only let them follow him to find the car.
Zhuang Keqing had nothing to do. She followed Zhang Da and only glanced at Shen Ling furtively. Seeing that he didn't seem as angry as before, she furtively stretched out her hand to hook the other man's sleeve.
She was not thrown away, nor was she lectured on inappropriate etiquette. She was secretly relieved.
You must be out of breath, right?
Just holding his sleeves, Shen Ling stopped when he was about to leave the city. He looked at the vendor not far away and said, "There is a candied haws seller over there."
He rushed to buy a candied haws and handed it to Shen Ling. Zhuang Keqing knew that he was no longer angry with her.
Zhang Da was busy leading the mule. When he turned around, he saw the young couple sharing a piece of candied haws. They also saw the dull atmosphere between them just now, and they couldn't understand.
However, is this thing so delicious? After finishing one bunch, do you still want another bunch?
Well, how about he buy one and take it home to share with the children?
…
With the mule cart, the journey was much faster and more relaxed. When we arrived at Erlizi Village, we didn't feel as tired as before.
When Zhang Da reached the fork in front of his house, he went back and asked Shen Ling to lead the mule.
It happened to be the time when the villagers were returning from the fields to have dinner, and many people saw the young couple's mule cart.
The men came up and took a look at it. They all said that the mule was good and strong. It would definitely be more powerful in future work. They all praised it.
My daughter-in-law and aunt were also very envious of her, but her words were full of twists and turns, and she didn’t know whether she wanted to praise or ridicule her.
However, Zhuang Keqing didn't take it to heart. He held Shen Ling firmly with one hand, looking happy and contented.
