Turning the tide in the Red Chamber

Chapter 40 [040] As soon as the golden mouth is opened, the silver is ten thousand taels

At this moment, Shi Ding basically believed that what Jia Chen said was the truth, but he didn't immediately expose the lie of the mustache shopkeeper, but wanted to see how Jia Chen would respond, so he asked with a smile:
"My subordinate insists that you stole it. Do you have any other evidence that can prove that you wrote this book?"

Jia Chen thought for a while, then smiled calmly:
"My nephew's maid, Qingwen, copied this manuscript of mine at home. If Erbo Shi doesn't believe it, you can come with me to my house to see the copy of the manuscript."

Hearing this, Shi Ding actually believed in Jia Chen's words, but he became very interested in Jia Chen, and wanted to see where he lived?Who are his parents?To be able to cultivate such a talented son, so he smiled and said:
"Okay, then take us to your house to have a look!"

"Okay, Uncle Shi, please!" Jia Chen led Shi Ding, Shi Xiangyun, and the mustache shopkeeper back home together.

When he saw that Jia Chen's residence was a dilapidated secondary courtyard, Shi Ding sighed with emotion:

"If the mountain is not high, it will be famous if there are immortals. If the water is not deep, there will be spirit if there are dragons. This is a humble room, but I am virtuous, and a noble son comes from a poor family!"

In the Great Zhou Dynasty, class solidification was not as severe as in the late Qing Dynasty. In the late Qing Dynasty, when land annexation was serious and officials, businessmen, officials and bandits colluded, common people were cut off like leeks, not only their property, but also their kidneys and lives.

At the end of the feudal dynasty when corruption and bribery became commonplace and profiteers harmed the country and the people, it was difficult for a poor family to produce a noble son.

Hearing these words, the shopkeeper with the mustache suddenly felt bad. Why did he listen to the words of the second master, and seemed to have more eyes on this kid?

Amidst the restless heartbeat, Mustache followed in disgrace at the end of the crowd, and walked into Jia Chen's yard.

Shi Ding asked, "Are your parents at home?"

Jia Chen replied: "I lost both my parents and my parents since I was a child, so I can only live alone."

Shi Ding sighed softly:
"I didn't expect that in such a difficult family environment, you can still be diligent and frugal, and you can learn by yourself. It's really rare! Among the descendants of our historians, there is no one who can compare with you."

"Shi Erbo is too famous, the humble house is simple, and there is only coarse tea for guests. I still hope that Shi Erbo is gracious." Saying that, Jia Chen

Lead Shi Ding and his party into the hall and sit down.

After Qingwen served the fragrant tea, Jia Chen ordered:
"Qingwen, bring over the copy of "The Four Lessons of Liao Fan" that you copied."

"Yes!" Qingwen replied, and took out a stack of Xuelang paper from the study.

Jia Chen took the stack of manuscripts, pulled out the second page, handed it to Shi Ding, and said with a smile:
"Uncle Shi, please take a look and see if it is exactly the same as the manuscript I gave you just now?"

Shi Ding browsed quickly, nodded slightly and said:
"It is indeed the same. This is enough to prove that you are the author of this "Four Lessons of Liao Fan"."

As he spoke, he looked at the shivering shopkeeper with a mustache, and said coldly:

"You have been following me for many years, but you never expected that you would be lawless, robbing property behind my back, and bullying the weak. Because you have not made any achievements and have worked hard for so many years, I just dismissed you. Get out!

Hearing this, Mustache almost fainted.

If he had known that offending Jia Chen would have cost him his job as a shopkeeper, even if he had been disabled, he would not have changed his mind.

But it's too late to regret it now.

Xiao Huzi was filled with remorse and shame, and it was useless to talk about love, so he only gave a big gift to Shi Ding, and then ran away in despair.

Shi Ding looked at the manuscript in his hand again, and joked:

"Nephew, your maid has the beauty of a moon and a flower, but her handwriting is crooked and extremely ugly. Your handwriting is so good, you should take the time to teach her more."

As soon as these words came out, Shi Xiangyun laughed heartlessly.

Several of Shi Ding's followers also echoed with a smile.

Qingwen rolled her eyes, curled her lips, her pretty face was flushed red, if she wasn't a maid, she would have slapped her back with her eloquent temper.

Jia Chen knew that Shi Ding was joking, so he simply followed the words, and Chao Qingwen smiled warmly and said:

"Since Erbo Shi has spoken, you have to follow me to study hard in the future. After you have developed a good handwriting, you can show it to Uncle Shi to read Yazheng."

"En! I will work hard to practice calligraphy and live up to Brother Chen's expectations!" Qingwen pursed her lips and nodded with firm eyes.

Shi Ding laughed and said:

"Chen'er, although I only read the second page of "The Four Lessons of Liao Fan" written by you, I was already deeply shocked. The quality of the content of this book is astonishing. I wonder how much you want to estimate?"

Jia Chen smiled lightly and said:

"How much is Uncle Shi willing to pay?"

Shi Ding thought for a moment, smiled and stretched out five fingers.

Jia Chen raised his eyebrows and asked, "Five thousand taels?"

Shi Ding shook his head and smiled slyly: "I mean, five hundred taels."

Jia Chen laughed and said:

"This is definitely not possible. To be honest, I wrote a book called "Disciple Regulations" before. The full text is only [-] words, but I earned [-] taels of silver last month.

The "Four Lessons of Liao Fan" has more than [-] words, which is ten times the number of words in "Di Zi Gui".

Even if you give me five thousand taels at once, I can't sell it to you. "

Shi Ding's eyes lit up, and he suddenly realized:
"I heard that this "Disciple Rules" has become popular in Shenjing City recently, and it turns out that the author is also you!"

Jia Chen smiled lightly and said, "Exactly."

Shi Ding sucked his teeth and asked, "How old are you?"

"Thirteen!"

Shi Ding tsk-tsk exclaimed:
"I didn't expect you to have already written two books at such a young age. You are truly a formidable young man! I dare not say if writing a book alone is unprecedented, but it is definitely unprecedented.

For thousands of years, no one has written two books at your age. "

Jia Chen said modestly:
"Second Uncle Shi is too famous, "Disciple Regulations" has helped me to gain popularity, dare to ask Uncle Shi, how much should I set for my current remuneration?"

Shi Ding smiled heartily and said:

"Chen'er has become famous, so naturally he can no longer refer to the market price of newcomers. In my opinion, it can be set according to the remuneration of contemporary famous artists."

He pondered for a while, stretched out two fingers, and said:
"I am willing to pay you [-] taels of silver in one lump sum to buy out your book."

Jia Chen thought for a moment, raised three fingers, and said with a smile:
"Thirty taels, if you can pay me thirty taels at once, I'll sell it to you."

Shi Ding was slightly taken aback, his brows were slightly frowned, and hesitant expression appeared on his face.

Jia Chen laughed and said:

"My last copy of "Disciple Regulations" was priced at one penny each, but this "Four Lessons of Liao Fan" has ten times the number of words in "Disciple Regulations". It can be priced at least one or two taels of silver. You just need to sell it. If you buy [-] copies, you can get your money back."

In fact, it is impossible to recoup the cost if only [-] copies are sold, because there are engraving printing, paper and ink costs, shop rent, and labor costs.

But in business talk business, as a seller, Jia Chen naturally can say whatever is beneficial to him.

Shi Ding squinted his eyes and thought for a moment, then his eyes widened suddenly, and he gritted his teeth and said:

"Okay! I am very optimistic about the sales prospects of your book, and I agree!"

Jia Chen immediately ordered Qingwen to fetch a pen and paper, and drew up two deeds, which were signed by both parties.

Shi Ding asked Jia Chen to go back to his Marquis Mansion with him, took out a stack of banknotes worth [-] taels from the bank vault, and handed them to Jia Chen.

And Jia Chen also handed over the full text of "The Four Lessons of Liao Fan" to the other party.

When Jia Chen returned home with [-] taels of silver in his pocket, Qingwen asked curiously:
"Brother Chen, I remember that you signed a sharing agreement with the Ningrong Second Mansion in the last "Disciple Regulations". Why are you willing to sell it to Lord Shi Hou at a one-time buyout price this time? If you also sign a sharing agreement, how can you Can't you earn more?"

(End of this chapter)