Linxia

Chapter 133, On Sale

On the last day of July, Fang Lin, Tian Xuan, Huang Di, Chai Yiwei, Liu Hongwen and Geng Shi stayed in Xuan Mo Zhai. They had breakfast early the next morning and opened the door.

Outside the store, there is a banner of "Romance of the Three Kingdoms", which is very eye-catching.

"Is the legendary Romance of the Three Kingdoms now on sale? Give me a copy!"

"I'd like to have a copy of Romance of the Three Kingdoms, too... Wow, this shop is so beautiful!" The customer strolled around and bought some pens, ink, paper, and inkstone.

"I want a copy of Romance of the Three Kingdoms."

……

Today has just begun and "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" has shown its popularity.

"This business is really good. Has it always been this good before?" Geng Shi asked, unfamiliar with the situation.

"Where? It's all because of Linzi's Romance of the Three Kingdoms. The business in the store was very quiet a few days ago." Huang Di said, "But today is also unusual. Not only ordinary customers, but also so many servants of noble families rushed to buy, and they were all very polite."

"Yes, they were not so easy to talk to before." Chai Yiwei nodded to indicate that this was the case.

Liu Hongwen glanced at Fang Lin and was shocked, knowing that this must be because of Fang Lin.

'It has become popular right from the start. This is due to the publicity in the early stages, including the debate, the Qixi Festival "Linjiangxian", and the publicity by Prefect Pu. As a result, as soon as it went on sale today, people who like popular novels came to buy it, wanting to see if the famous "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" is true. The servants in the noble family are so polite, probably because of the anti-gangster storm two days ago. Prefect Pu shocked them.'

Fang Lin shook his head slightly, thinking: "Returning to the Romance of the Three Kingdoms itself, it currently relies on early publicity, and the follow-up will depend on the quality of the book itself and the reputation of readers."

At this moment, there was a sudden commotion outside the store.

It turned out that Magistrate Pu had come. He came to the platform in person today to show his support and bought a copy of "Romance of the Three Kingdoms". He came and left in a hurry.

The officials who came with him also bought a copy.

In this era, the official demonstration effect and celebrity effect are extremely terrifying. Seeing this, many people flocked to buy it, making it increasingly popular.

People in Daxia love to join in the fun. When passers-by saw so many people in Xuan Mo Zhai, they thought there must be good stuff and followed them in. Once they came in, they were attracted by the decoration and started to shop around... With such positive and negative feedback, the store was crowded after a while, and the line even stretched out the door.

……

The business in the store was booming. At lunchtime, the store was still packed and people had to take turns eating.

At this time, Tian Xuan went out to hold the fire, and Fang Lin and Huang Di came over to eat.

"Linzi, you said before that it's not as easy as when you were the busiest before, but I didn't believe it. Today, I finally believe it. I bought copies of Romance of the Three Kingdoms one by one. They were restocked several times, and some even ordered 100 copies directly. Wow!"

"That belongs to Qing Huan Xiao Ju. It must be the influence of Gu Yuyan and Shi Wenjun. I have to thank them later." Fang Lin thought to himself.

"I don't know how business is this afternoon. If it's still this good, that would be great." Although he was busy and tired, Huang Di was happy for Fang Lin to see that business was good. This meant that Xuan Mo Zhai could continue for a long time and he wouldn't have to worry about not making enough money. Besides, wasn't there a 3% profit bonus?
Don't say he is utilitarian. That's human nature. Enthusiasm alone can sustain one for a day or two, but only by sharing the dividends brought by development can people persist for a long time.

"It shouldn't be worse than this morning. The impact of the previous publicity hasn't yet fully fermented. In addition, word of mouth may spread in the afternoon... In short, let's work harder!" Fang Lin said.

In fact, as he expected, in the afternoon, not only did people buy the book because of the previous publicity, but also people who bought the book in the morning read it and spread the word of mouth and came to buy it. It can be said that the readers developed by "Water Margin" were converted to the greatest extent because of the high quality of "Romance of the Three Kingdoms".

As a result, the business in the store was so hot that it could not be described in words. Customers lined up outside the door for several meters. Many people came in and asked for a copy of "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" without looking at anything else. They paid for it without blinking an eye. Of course, many other items were also sold, but "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" was the best-selling product.

Even though Fang Lin tried to overestimate the quantity and prepare enough for one day, it was sold out just after noon and he had to take the goods from the back room.

Employees like Huang Di, Chai Yiwei, Liu Hongwen, Geng Shi, etc. were tired but happy. As they received a 3% profit bonus, at the end of the month, the bonus could probably be enough to cover a month's wages.

……

Xuan Mo Zhai's business was booming, but Hong Yingheng from Shu Xiang Ge two streets away was very unhappy.

In the morning, "Popular Romance of the Song Dynasty Restoration" was launched, and it was pretty good. It was sold out one by one. According to experience, word-of-mouth will get better and better. I am excited and ready for a hot scene.

But after noon, she started to have diarrhea, and it only came occasionally, like a difficult labor, which was completely illogical.

Hong Yingheng frowned and asked his younger brother Hong Yingdou to look after the store while he went out to investigate the cause. Not long after he walked, he heard a conversation between two people who were buying books.

"I'm an old customer of Shuxiang Pavilion. I heard that there is a new popular novel 'Popular Romance of the Restoration of the Song Dynasty' today. Shall we go buy it together?" someone said.

But his companion stopped him and said, "Why did you buy The Popular Romance of the Restoration of the Song Dynasty? Go to Xuan Mo Zhai to buy The Romance of the Three Kingdoms. My friend has bought both books and read some of them. He said that The Popular Romance of the Restoration of the Song Dynasty is straightforward and copied from historical books, with most of them being translations. If it was a few days ago, it would have been pretty good, but today, when compared with The Romance of the Three Kingdoms, I can't read it anymore. You know what, I read one or two chapters of The Romance of the Three Kingdoms with him, and it was indeed very interesting. Unfortunately, my friend reads too slowly, so I plan to buy a copy myself."

"So, let's go buy Romance of the Three Kingdoms and take a walk!"

……

Hong Yingheng almost got angry when he heard this: "I want to go and see what the Romance of the Three Kingdoms is like!"

When he arrived at Xuan Mo Zhai, he saw that the business was booming and the line outside the door was nearly ten feet long. He couldn't help but curse in his heart: "A bunch of cheap bones, they would rather queue here in the hot sun than go to my Shuxiang Pavilion to buy "The Popular Romance of the Restoration of the Song Dynasty"! "

At this time, a person next to him turned to him and said, "Brother, you are here to buy Romance of the Three Kingdoms? You are braving the hot sun, which shows that you really like it."

"right!"

Hong Yingheng's face froze, and he agreed despite his irritation, asking, "Brother, why did you come here in the sun? I heard that Shuxiang Pavilion is also launching a new popular novel, "The Popular Romance of the Song Dynasty's Restoration", today. Would you like to take a look?"

"What's 'The Popular Romance of the Restoration of the Song Dynasty'? Even a dog wouldn't buy it." This person accidentally stabbed Hong Yingheng in the heart, and continued to talk to himself: "'The Romance of the Three Kingdoms' has a preface written by Prefect Pu, and it is well-known. I am even more cautious. I listened to the comments of friends who bought it this morning, and all of them said it was good."

As he spoke, he looked at Hong Yingheng and continued to poke his heart: "We didn't have anything to read before. As long as it was a popular novel, no matter whether it was good or bad, we could only pinch our noses and buy it. But now it's different. There are better ones, why would we choose the bad ones? It's like having a big meat bone, you definitely won't chew on the carrot, don't you think this is the truth?"

"Yes!" Hong Yingheng almost shut himself up after hearing this, but he could only grit his teeth and agree, thinking to himself: "I want to see how good this "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" is."

I waited in line for a whole incense stick before I was able to buy a copy of Romance of the Three Kingdoms.

Hong Yingheng did not go back either. Instead, he went to a nearby small tea shop and opened the book with the intention of analyzing the enemy's situation and examining it for flaws. Once he started reading, he was fascinated.

At the beginning, the game grabs people's attention. The three heroes swore brotherhood at the Peach Garden Banquet, the hero made his first contribution in the battle against the Yellow Turbans, Zhang Yide whipped the Supervisor, and He Guojiu planned to kill the eunuchs...

Dong Zhuo, Ding Yuan, Lu Bu, Cao Cao... appeared one after another, the heroes rose up, and the curtain opened.

Then, the eighteen princes fought against Dong, the three heroes fought against Lu Bu, Luoyang was burned, and Sun Jian hid the jade seal... the climaxes continued and it was a feast for the eyes.

I thought it would be slow going, but then, the plot was still exciting: Wang Situ used the beauty trap, Tao Gongzu gave up Xuzhou three times... The plot was full of ups and downs. Xiahou Chun pulled out an arrow and ate his eye, Lu Bu shot the halberd at the gate, Cao and Liu drank wine and talked about heroes, Guan Yu passed five passes and killed six generals... One famous scene after another shocked the heart.

Until the Little Overlord angrily killed Yu Ji and Bi Yan'er took over Jiangdong, the battle here had just ended, but soon there was the Battle of Guandu between Cao Cao and Yuan Shao, and the climax came again!

Reading this book, it really feels like going back to that glorious era of turbulent times, great events, and endless heroic figures.

Hong Yingheng originally ran a bookstore and read very fast. However, for such a good book, he subconsciously slowed down his pace and was reluctant to read it quickly. But the book has an end after all. After reading thirty chapters, he turned to the next page, and then... that was it!
"Fuck!" He almost threw the cup. His anger at this moment was even stronger than when Fang Lin got to Xuan Mo Zhai first, or when he saw that his own business was not doing well while Xuan Mo Zhai's business was booming.

"Sir, calm down! Calm down!" The owner of the small tea shop came out and persuaded.

Hong Yingheng was about to apologize.

But the owner of the small tea shop said, "There have been several such incidents today. When asked, they all said that they were watching Romance of the Three Kingdoms and they were gone. Don't you think it's weird?"

He stared at the book in Hong Yingheng's hand, with an embarrassed expression on his face: "I was thinking, how interesting is this "Romance of the Three Kingdoms", it's really not worse than "Water Margin"? I also want to buy a copy, but I really can't leave. Now that you've finished reading it, can you lend it to me?"

"Fuck!" Hong Yingheng cursed in his heart after hearing this. In front of me, the owner of Shuxiang Pavilion, you are praising the books of your rival Xuan Mo Zhai. Is that polite?

Oh, right, he just remembered his purpose, which was to investigate the enemy, to examine and find faults, but why was he so fascinated? He couldn't help but slap his thigh hard.

……

Like Hong Yingheng, countless people in the city today cursed Fang Lin because he had lost his chapter, causing Fang Lin to sneeze countless times for no reason.

……

Liu Hongru is the second son of Manager Liu and the younger brother of Liu Hongwen. Initially, because of the stingy nature of their eldest sister-in-law Liu Ding, the two brothers separated and lived separately.

These days, Manager Liu no longer has to run Xuan Mo Zhai. He has some free time and is staying at his second son's house with Old Lady Liu, taking care of his second son's pregnant daughter-in-law.

"Hong Ru, don't you like reading popular novels? The Romance of the Three Kingdoms is on sale today, at our former Xuan Mo Zhai. You can go and have a look."

"Okay, I thought, I'll wait until this time in the afternoon when it's hot outside and there are fewer people around to buy it."

"Not necessarily."

When Liu Hongru went there, he finally understood what his father meant. Under the scorching sun, people who wanted to buy books lined up more than ten feet outside the door, and they were all very excited. Only people joined in, and no one left.

"Are you all crazy? It's just a novel, what's the big deal?"

Liu Hongru was complaining in his heart, thinking that since he was already here, it would be difficult to go back, so he queued up anyway.

After waiting for a long time, with my hat squeezed off and a body covered in sweat, I finally managed to grab a copy of "Romance of the Three Kingdoms". Because I was tired and hot, I sat down on the street to rest and opened the book, ready to read for a while.

But once you read it, you will be immersed in it, as if you have walked into that turbulent era. The book is full of climaxes and you will not want to put it down.

Once I was immersed in it, the scorching hot weather seemed nothing, and the hustle and bustle of the street seemed to be isolated. I just stared at the book, not daring to blink.

"Good! Good! Well written!"

Liu Hongru watched for an unknown amount of time and felt his neck become extremely stiff. He wanted to get up and stretch his muscles, but when he looked up, it was already evening and it was almost dark.

……

Qinghuan Xiaoju bought 100 copies of "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" - there is indeed a demand for popular novels here, because there are no uneducated people here, and the evaluation of Pu Zhifu is not inferior to "Water Margin". Under the influence of Gu Yuyan and Shi Wenjun, they bought so many copies out of trust. It is said that Gu Yuyan and Shi Wenjun avoided seeing guests after receiving the books, brewed a pot of tea, a plate of snacks, and started reading.

The room was filled with the scent of sandalwood and there was only the quiet rustling sound of turning pages. The two girls did not eat lunch and did not finish reading until mid-afternoon.

"That's great, that's right, that's right... It breaks here, Mr. Fang is really..." Gu Yuyan was angry, and her beautiful cheeks bulged like a puffer fish.

"Isn't it?" Shi Wenjun poked her sister's face, and she rarely responded. With her quiet and elegant appearance, she couldn't help but feel a little angry at the other party. However, she quickly got over this emotion and put down "Romance of the Three Kingdoms". She felt lost and said with emotion: "Mr. Fang's talent is rare in the world. He connected countless characters and events in the Three Kingdoms and wrote it in a fascinating way. Only Mr. Fang can do it. This book is indeed not inferior to Water Margin."

"Yes, the book is full of brilliant ideas, which shows that Mr. Fang has strategies in his mind. That day I teased Mr. Fang and was actually showing off my skills in front of an expert." Gu Yuyan said shyly, thinking of that day again.

But now thinking back on the embarrassing incident, it seems to have a sweet taste.

"Now you know? It was Master Fang who didn't bother with you. But I have to say, the more I get to know Master Fang, the more surprised I feel. It's like an inexhaustible treasure. I can't help but wonder what kind of person he is."

When Shi Wenjun thought of the calm figure in green clothes, who was not surprised by fame or disgrace, she recalled the plot in the book about discussing heroes over plum wine, and she could not help chanting: "A dragon can be big or small, can rise or hide. When it is big, it can create clouds and mist, and when it is small, it can hide its shape. When it rises, it soars into the universe, and when it hides, it lurks in the waves."

"More than half a month ago, Master Fang was still unknown. Now, with the publication of Romance of the Three Kingdoms, it is bound to cause a sensation in the city and sell like hot cakes. When Romance of the Three Kingdoms spreads across the country, as the author of this book, Master Fang will surely be famous throughout the world. He will truly be known as 'everyone in the world knows you'."

……

Dong Zugao came in from the back door of Xuan Mo Zhai. When he saw Fang Lin, he opened his arms and hugged him with a big smile: "Brother Fang, congratulations on your wealth!"

"Let's get rich, let's get rich together. Brother Dong will also have a share in this." Fang Lin said with a smile.

"Haha, that's right. I got a great deal. I got my name on the editing of Romance of the Three Kingdoms. I don't know how many classmates envy me. This is the same treatment as Prefect Pu."

Dong Zugao laughed heartily: "By the way, those classmates couldn't get books, so they came to me and asked me for help, asking me to come here..."

He didn't stay long. He paid, took the book, and left in a hurry.

……

School.

During a break, Xu Kuo's son Xu Xianwen was surrounded by a group of schoolchildren.

Xu Xianwen was very proud, pointing at the Romance of the Three Kingdoms in his hand and said, "Look what this is? The Romance of the Three Kingdoms has been circulating in the city for a long time. I finally got it with great difficulty. You don't know, it's really good!"

At noon, he went to Xuan Mo Zhai and called out "Brother Fang" countless times before he got the book. However, there is no need to mention this embarrassing incident. The important thing is that at this time, he had the book, but his friends did not.

“Can it be as good-looking as mine?” A little friend took out "Popular Romance of the Restoration of the Song Dynasty" and said unconvincedly.

"Tsk!" Before Xu Xianwen could say anything, someone else said, "I've also read some of your "Popular Romance of the Restoration of the Song Dynasty". Compared with "Romance of the Three Kingdoms", it's like one is flying in the sky and the other is falling to the ground."

"Yes, can they be compared? I feel that Romance of the Three Kingdoms is better than Water Margin, and it was written by my brother." Xu Xianwen boasted.

"Wow, your brother? Awesome!"

"Yes, that's great. Xu Xianwen, I'll give you money, can you bring me a copy tomorrow?"

"And I!"

……

Xu Xianwen's face turned pale when he heard this. With so many people and so many books, how many times would he have to call Fang Lin 'Brother Fang' under his coercion? He immediately changed the subject: "Hey, let's hurry up and continue reading!"

A group of little heads came over, vying for a spot, pushing and shoving each other, staring with wide eyes, and soon the sound became silent.

Especially the one who mentioned "Popular Romance of the Song Dynasty Restoration" before. After reading some of it, I felt that "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" was indeed good, and my own "Popular Romance of the Song Dynasty Restoration" was really not as good. I decided to return "Popular Romance of the Song Dynasty Restoration" after school and buy a copy of "Romance of the Three Kingdoms".

when!
After a while, the bell rang, and it was time for class, but these elementary school children still seized the last one or two breaths, staring at the books with wide eyes, as if reading a few more words would be helpful.

When the Master came in, they dispersed and returned to their seats, but they were all wailing in their hearts: "Ah, the eighteen princes are fighting against Dong, what's next?"

Not only these students, Xu Xianwen himself also felt itchy. He glanced at the teacher in front of him, secretly opened "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" and continued reading it himself.

This scene was seen by many friends nearby. They were so envious and jealous that they wanted to fly over and watch it together.

Mr. Yu found that the effect of today's lecture was very poor. Many students were distracted - that's right? They were all thinking about novels, so how could they be in the mood to listen to the lecture!

He also discovered something strange: many students were secretly looking in the direction of Xu Xianwen with very strange looks in their eyes, but Xu Xianwen was very honest today. He sat upright, listening to the class with his head down, writing and drawing with his hands, as if he was recording his homework.

"You should learn from Xu Xianwen..." Master Yu said as he walked over. He wanted to praise Xu Xianwen, but he found that this guy just made a recording gesture with his hands, but his eyes were...

Wow!
He immediately took away the Romance of the Three Kingdoms and said angrily, "Xu Xianwen!"

As expected, Xu Xianwen was slapped on the palm of his hand, but the pain was not in his hands, but in his heart, because his copy of "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" was confiscated!

Master Yu was so angry that he asked this group of elementary school students to practice calligraphy. They took the books and sat down in the front. When they saw the titles of the books, they thought of Magistrate Pu's propaganda and opened the books to take a look.

But when he looked up, he saw a group of primary school children below, who were learning calligraphy after school. From time to time, they raised their heads and looked eagerly at the teacher in front of them. They all wanted to take his place.

After school, Xu Xianwen came over to apologize: "Master, I know I was wrong..."

"It's good that you know you're wrong. It's the greatest virtue to correct it. I won't invite your father this time." Master Yu stroked his long beard and taught earnestly.

"No, Master, I want to say that my novel..."

"Fool, you are still young and your mind is unstable. Study hard. Now is not the time to read this kind of thing. Go! Go!"

Wait until Xu Xianwen leaves.

Master Yu lit the lamp, sat down, and continued to open the Romance of the Three Kingdoms. As he read, he exclaimed, "It's so well written!"

……

Xu family.

Although Xu Kuo was illiterate, he still supported Xuan Mo Zhai's business. He asked his servants to buy a copy of "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" and asked his literate housekeeper to read it, which he enjoyed very much.

Not only him, but also Xu's wife came over and listened for a while and was fascinated.

When Xu Xianwen came back, he saw this scene. He thought his novel had been taken away, but he didn't expect it was still at home. He was so excited!

He snatched the book from the housekeeper, leaving a sentence: "Dad, Mom, I'll take it and have a look first."

His parents, who could always dote on him, didn't let him do what he wanted this time. Two shadows loomed over him: "Put it down...!"

"Dad, Mom, let me read to you, let me read to you!"

Xu Xianwen suddenly had an idea and took over the task of reading aloud. He quickly turned to the part he wanted to read, "The Eighteen Princes Fight against Dong Zhuo". He wanted to start reading from here, but was suppressed by his parents. He had to start from the burning of Luoyang. The amazing thing was that after skipping some parts, he was still able to immerse himself in it.

At dinner that night, Xu Kuo ordered a pot of wine, humming, "Pour the wine, I'll be back soon! You are the kind of people who are willing to sell your heads..."

He really likes Guan Erye and feels that this character is written to his heart.

After dinner, Xu Xianwen read for another half an hour and then went to bed.

The next morning, Xu Kuo got up early and wanted to take out the book for the housekeeper to read, but he found that the book was gone. He was so angry: "Where is my book? Where is such a big book?"

However, he quickly reacted and sneered, "Xu Xianwen, don't come back tonight!"

"I was wondering, why did that little bastard get up so early this morning and run away without even eating, like a thief... Sigh, Wang Situ used a beauty trap, what's behind it?"

Xu's wife complained, watching Xu Kuo Lao about to go out: "Where are you going?"

"Go to Xuan Mo Zhai and bring back another copy of Romance of the Three Kingdoms."

"Okay, then you go quickly and come back to eat." Xu's wife said immediately.

Xu Kuo Lao: ...

Before, he really didn’t realize that you were such a lady.

……

Zhong Zongdian got his hands on the Romance of the Three Kingdoms in the evening, read it carefully, and finished it until midnight.

"I'm really not as good as him!" He sighed with disappointment after reading it.

Although there is a saying that there is no first in literature and no second in martial arts, the gap between his "Popular Romance of the Song Dynasty Restoration" and "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" is really not a little bit. After reading it, his opponent Zhong Zongdian was conquered.

"But it's not completely without gain. The two books were released on the same day. In the future, Romance of the Three Kingdoms will go down in history, and I'm sure I'll also be recorded in history books!"

Although it was recorded in history as a stepping stone, just tell me, has your name been left in history?

……

Zhong Zongdian was right. After "Water Margin", the second and third popular novels were released on the same day. "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" crushed "Popular Romance of the Song Dynasty Restoration" and won this collision, leaving a strong mark in the history books of later generations.

But that is a story for later, let’s not talk about it for now, and let’s get back to the present. The super-phenomenal work Romance of the Three Kingdoms has quickly fermented in the city and attracted countless attention. However, people living in this era do not know what kind of frenzy it will set off and what kind of era it will slowly usher in.

……

(End of this chapter)