Red Mansion: Fuyao River and Mountain

Chapter 9 Selling Words
Jia Cong went to Wenhan Street early in the morning. In the past, he would pass by here after class at the clan school, but he had no money in his pocket at that time, so he usually did not go into those shops filled with the scent of books.

He walked around the street and passed by the shops with grand facades and gorgeous furnishings. It has been the same since ancient times.

I found a shop that was neither too big nor too small. The equipment inside was new and it looked like it had just opened not long ago.

The store was deserted, with only a young man counting the bills at the counter and an old man slowly cleaning the store.

Just as Jia Cong reached the door, the young man behind the counter put down his abacus and came towards him with a warm smile on his face.

"Young master, what kind of books do you want to buy? Although our store has only been open for a short time, we have a complete range of books on the imperial examinations, dictionaries, rare books, miscellaneous works, and legends. You can choose whatever you like."

The young man looked like a display case in a store. He did not show any disrespect towards Jia Cong because he was a child. His attitude was sincere and his words were eloquent, which made people like him very much.

"I'm not here to buy books today. I saw a lot of calligraphy and paintings hanging in the store, so I thought they were selling calligraphy and paintings. I have three pieces of calligraphy that I want to consign to the store."

The young man saw Jia Cong holding three rolls of rice paper in his hands. He looked a little childish. His robe had become a little white from washing, and the stitches of the mending could be seen on the cuffs.

I guess this child's family is poor, otherwise he wouldn't come to consign his calligraphy and paintings, but this child's eyes are gentle and calm, with an unusual kind of calmness and composure that makes people dare not look down on him.

This kind of demeanor should not appear in a child, and the young man felt a little surprised.

He recognized that the paper in the other person's hand was top-grade Xuelang paper. This kind of rice paper was not cheap and people from poor families could not afford it. In short, there was something weird about this child.

"The store can consign calligraphy and paintings. We will charge 20% of the commission after the sale. Can I take a look at the calligraphy and paintings that the young master is consigning?"

The so-called 20% commission was the agency fee, which Jia Cong thought was reasonable, so he spread out the three pieces of calligraphy he had written and spread them on the counter.

The young man's eyes widened when he saw the calligraphy on the paper.

Since he knew how to open a bookstore, and he opened it on Wenhan Street, which is a street full of bookstores in Shenjing City, there were many competitors here and the competition was fierce.

It's hard to survive here if you don't have the skills.

So this young man is not only well-versed in literature and calligraphy, but also has a keen eye for identifying calligraphy and paintings.

The calligraphy on the paper was gentle and ancient, elegant and free and easy, with a unique style. It was a font he had never seen before, and it already had the aura of a master.

"Great calligraphy, really great calligraphy. I have never received such exquisite calligraphy before. Little brother, I wonder which master wrote this calligraphy?"

"I write."

The young man looked surprised and subconsciously looked at Jia Cong: "What did you say? You wrote this..."

Young people think that in order to write calligraphy like this, it takes years of hard practice. Jia Cong is only a child, how could he have such calligraphy skills?

It can be seen that Jia Cong's gentle and calm eyes revealed an unquestionable self-confidence, and he did not seem to be lying at all.

Even so, the young man still had some doubts.

Jia Cong was not angry. He picked up the brush in front of the counter, but his eyes were looking around.

The young man suddenly came to his senses and immediately took out a piece of rice paper and spread it on the counter.

The counter was a little too high for Jia Cong, so he placed a stool horizontally and put it under his feet, which was just the right height.

The way he stood on the stool and wrote looked a little funny and childish, but the young man next to him had already put aside his doubts.

An expert can tell whether there is one or not just by stretching out his hand. He saw that as soon as Jia Cong picked up the brush, this half-grown boy exuded an unparalleled aura that frightened him and made him a little dazed.

Jia Cong wrote on the rice paper: When people are idle, the sweet-scented osmanthus flowers fall, and the spring mountains are empty at night. The moon rises and startles the mountain birds, which sometimes sing in the spring stream.

The font was exactly the same as the three calligraphy works just now.

If the young man had not seen it with his own eyes, he would never have believed that such profound and outstanding calligraphy could have come from the hands of the child before him.

No wonder this half-grown child had such an extraordinary look in his eyes when he first met him, which made him feel dazzling at that time.

The aura that he exuded when he wrote just now could only be developed through years of immersion in calligraphy.

Although he is still a child, he has such amazing skills in calligraphy. There really are such people in the world.

"Brother, you are so talented. It's amazing. I bought these three pieces of calligraphy. No, four pieces of calligraphy for fifty taels each. I wonder if you are satisfied."

Although Jia Cong's calligraphy is amazing, he is an unknown child after all, and his worth is still different from those famous calligraphers.

The calligraphy and paintings that the young man consigned to his store were all from famous calligraphers and painters. Even so, it was rare for a piece of calligraphy and painting to sell for fifty taels.

So the price offered by the young people was already a very good price.

He saw that Jia Cong had such amazing calligraphy at such a young age, and there was no doubt that he would be a great figure in the future. He was able to receive his calligraphy at this moment, a step ahead of others, which was extremely valuable, and it was simply a rare commodity, so he did not hesitate to offer a price.

Jia Cong had been living a hard life during this period. Because he had no money, he even couldn't sleep well every night due to hunger. Naturally, he deeply understood the importance of money.

That day, Nanny Zhao sold the couplet he wrote for only ten taels of silver, which was already enough for his monthly salary for almost half a year.

He was a little surprised that a piece of his calligraphy could be sold for fifty taels. Happiness came too suddenly because he no longer had to go hungry.

"I want twenty taels of silver in cash, and you can exchange the rest for silver notes."

Jia Cong would not be stupid enough to take two hundred taels of silver home. If the news reached Mrs. Xing's ears, it would be gone in no time.

It would be easy to collect if it was converted into silver notes. With this money, even if he couldn't get a penny as monthly salary, it would be enough for him and Zhishao to live a stable life for a few years.

As long as he has a few years of relatively stable life, he will try his best to study and achieve fame. This is the only shortcut he can take at present.

Only in this way can he have a foothold in the Jia family and even be qualified to move out and live elsewhere.

By then, I will be able to escape the abuse and control of Jia She and his wife, and it will be difficult for them to control me again.

He also had more space to accumulate strength, so that when the Jia family's empire was about to collapse, he had the power to protect and save himself.

The young man took out two ingots of snowflake silver from the counter.

He also took out four small silver notes, totaling one hundred and eighty taels.

The young man smiled and said, "Seeing that the signature says my name is Jia Cong, I will call you Brother Cong. I am Xiao Jindong, the owner of this bookstore.

My dear brother, please come to me again if you want to consign calligraphy. If the price satisfies you, here are twenty taels of silver. There are also silver notes from Huanming Bank, which can be exchanged at any time in any county branch in the Great Zhou."

Jia Cong saw that the banknotes had been divided into several small amounts, which made them convenient for both withdrawal and storage. He thought that Xiao Jindong was very efficient.

He glanced at the bookshelf in the shop again and said, "I also want to buy a set of four books, which will come in handy."

Xiao Jindong took a set of brand new books from the bookshelf and said, "This is the hardcover edition of the Red Pine Ink Double Seal that Yu Wenxuan just released. It is worth twenty taels and is the best edition of the Four Books on the market."

Half of a scholar's future and success depend on the Four Books. Although it is reasonable that they are sold at a higher price, twenty taels of silver for this set of Four Books is a bit outrageously expensive.

Jia Cong flipped through it and saw that the paper was snow-white and flexible, the ink was black and fragrant, and some important notes were printed in vermilion. It was very exquisite and worth the money.

He placed the twenty taels of silver in his hand on the counter, picked up the book and prepared to leave.

It's true that you make money quickly and spend it even faster.

Xiao Jindong smiled and pushed the twenty taels of silver back to him: "It is my honor to receive your calligraphy today. I will give this set of books to you. I wish you success in the imperial examination soon."

Jia Cong declined several times, but seeing that Xiao Jindong insisted on seeing him off, he stopped being polite. This was his first friend outside the Jia family.

He also asked Xiao Jindong to keep the fact that he sold his calligraphy today a secret and not tell anyone else. Although Xiao Jindong felt a little surprised, he readily agreed.

Although Jia Cong signed his name on the scroll, he was detained in the East Road Courtyard since he was a child, and few people outside the Jia family knew him.

Even if his calligraphy was bought by someone familiar with the Jia family, no one would be able to guess who it belonged to for the time being.

Therefore, as long as Xiao Jindong's mouth was shut, it would be almost impossible for Mrs. Xing to know that he had made a small fortune.

Looking at the young man leaving with a bundle of books, the old man who was cleaning the bookshelves in the shop walked up to Xiao Jindong.

He squinted his eyes and looked at Jia Cong's back, muttering in a low voice: "This kid looks familiar."

"Second Uncle, what are you talking about?"

The old man glanced at Xiao Jindong and suppressed the strangeness in his heart.

He glanced at the words on the counter and surprise appeared in his eyes again.

"You bought it for two hundred taels? Jindong, you made a good deal."

Xiao Jindong said with a smile: "Uncle, just wait and see. In a few years, this kid will be worth a fortune."

The old man looked at Jia Cong's gradually receding figure and asked thoughtfully, "What's the name of this kid?"

Xiao Jindong admired the calligraphy in his hand and said casually, "It's written on it that his name is Jia Cong, and he is the son of Rongguo Mansion."

The old man's eyes sparkled, and he murmured, "People from Rongguo Mansion in Judefang..."

(End of this chapter)