Linxia

Chapter 148, Hot

As the lights came on, an orange light shone through the Fang family's kitchen, and there were clanging sounds. It was Tian Xuan and Fang's mother who were busy making dinner.

Under the orange tree, Fang's father was talking to Fang Chuanhui and Fang He who came over. Fang Lin was accompanying them, and the cat squatted obediently at his feet.

Guaiguai grew up with the orange tree and has grown up a lot. Perhaps because he eats well, his fur is shiny and glossy. He sits there with a calm and majestic look, like a little tiger. Because he is really not small anymore, the family changed his name from "Xiaoguai" to "Guai'er", especially when Tian Xuan calls him, it sounds especially good. The word "guai" has a rolled tongue sound. As long as she calls him, Guaiguai will shake his tail and run to her side. Tian Xuan hugs him and strokes him, just like treating a child.

"According to the date, your father and the others should have arrived in the village by the time they returned," said Father Fang.

"That's right. Uncle, second uncle, Sister Cao'er, and Xiaoxiao should have gone back. The letter will come later with the caravan." Fang Lin nodded.

"The last time, my father and I went back with the caravan, it took about this much time." Fang Chuanhui said, with a hint of longing in his eyes.

"Dad and the others brought a lot of things, as well as my sister and Xiaoxiao. When they go back to the village, there will definitely be a lot of friends surrounding them, wanting to listen to them talk about what they have seen and heard in the city!" Fang Chuanhui said, with some envy in his heart. Although he is much more mature now, he still likes to be in the spotlight, which is also because a cousin has opened up the gene of "showing off in front of others".

In fact, what he thought was right. Now, when they returned to the village, Fang Cao'er and Fang Xiaoxiao became the center of attention among the children in the village. They were surrounded by them and recounted the scenes of listening to Liu Mazi's storytelling and the fireworks show over and over again. They enjoyed the same treatment as when Fang Yuyu returned last time.

"How is it? Is the city different from our village? Are you used to it?" Fang's father was not a talkative person, but as an elder, he still found something to ask Fang Chuanhui and Fang He.

"I feel that the biggest difference between the city and our village is cleanliness. Everything is clean and I can get used to it. It's much better than the endless work to do in the village."

"Yes, Third Uncle, I eat well, sleep well, and have a decent job. Everything is good."

Fang Chuanhui and Fang He really liked the work in the bookstore. After being in the city for a while, they realized that there were no such decent jobs in the city and not everyone was as lucky as they were. For example, many people from the villages who stayed in the city last year mostly worked in factories, and very few worked at the docks. Their lives were very hard and tiring.

In the store, although they were from the village, no one looked down on them because of Fang Lin. Instead, everyone was polite to them. The food in the store was also good, which made both of them feel a lot stronger. After work, they could live in the store or go back to their rented house. Fang Chuanhui still insisted on learning calligraphy, which encouraged Fang He to follow suit.

Oh, the most noteworthy thing is the wages, more than three taels of silver per month, which is equivalent to what a family can earn from working on the fields in Xiaohe Village for a year. To be honest, they were so excited when they received such a large sum of wages for the first time two days ago that they couldn’t sleep. They kept it carefully, as if they were afraid that someone would steal it.

In addition, compared with the spiritual desolation of Xiaohe Village, the city of Fu is much richer and more exciting. In their spare time after work and after learning to read characters, the two would read popular novels. The Romance of the Three Kingdoms opened this door for them. The two would also rent some misprinted, damaged, or rented popular novels from the store and read them with great interest.

It can be said that the current life in the capital city is like a dream to Fang Chuanhui and Fang He, so they are extremely grateful to Fang Lin who brought them all this. They keep an eye on him in the store. On the one hand, they are grateful, and on the other hand, they do not want the bookstore to have bad business and close down, so that they will have to go back to Xiaohe Village.

"That's good. If you encounter difficulties, come here."

"Yes, you're welcome. If you can't save face for dad, you can come to me. You also know where the main store is." Fang Lin said with a smile.

As we were talking, the meal was ready. Needless to say, it was a sumptuous dinner. We stewed a large sea bass. When we came back in the evening, we met a man selling wild rabbits. He cooked a pot of fragrant rabbit meat and drank some rice wine.

Fang's mother knew that Fang Chuanhui and Fang He were reserved, so she didn't bother to be polite with them. She just served them a lot of soup and meat, and the rice was soaked with oil.

Fang Chuanhui and Fang He felt so touched and warmed by such enthusiasm.

During the meal, Fang Chuanhui and Fang He were asked how they were doing in the city, and whether they were used to it. They were invited to come over for dinner often. Fang's mother then asked Fang Lin, "Linzi, are we going back home for the New Year this year?"

As soon as these words were spoken, Fang's father, Tian Xuan, Fang Chuanhui and Fang He all looked over.

After Fang's father passed away, Fang Lin basically made all the decisions on such major family matters. Fang Chuanhui and Fang He also knew this, and Fang Lin's opinion was basically the final decision.

Fang Lin knew that his father and mother wanted to go back. After thinking for a while, he realized that there was nothing important in the capital city, so he said, "Go back. You haven't been back for a year or two. You should go back at least once."

"It's good to go home! It's good to go home!" Father Fang said repeatedly, obviously very happy. He missed Grandpa Fang and Grandma Fang.

"Yes, I haven't been back for more than a year."

Fang's mother was also happy. Now that her family was so well off, how could she not go back and let the villagers take a good look? She had to show it off.

Tian Xuan looked at it, covered her mouth and smiled. She didn't care about these things. As long as the family was reunited, it didn't matter where they were.

Fang Chuanhui and Fang He were also happy. Although Fucheng was good in every way, they could not give up Xiaohe Village. Fang Chuanhui was thinking about what gifts to buy for his family, especially his youngest sister. Fang He was thinking that his good job was nothing in Fucheng, so he had to show off when he returned.

"Oh, right," Fang's mother slapped her head and suddenly remembered something: "Before we go back, Linzi, have you and Xiaoxuan arranged their marriage?"

"What do you think about this?" Fang's father also asked.

When Tian Xuan heard the news just now, she didn't react much, but at this moment, she blushed and lowered her head in shame. Then she mustered up her courage, suppressed her shyness and looked at Fang Lin to hear what he had to say.

"Okay, Dad and Mom, you decide." Fang Lin thought about it and agreed.

When we first came to the capital, our family didn't have much money and didn't have the conditions to hold a wedding. Now that conditions are better, there's no need to delay. Moreover, at that time, Tian Xuan was somewhat malnourished due to her age and physical weakness. Now that more than a year has passed, she has recovered and has become more beautiful, so there is no need to worry about this.

"As the business grows, I have to arrange the wedding to make Sister Xuan feel at ease. Otherwise, after a while, she might start to have wild thoughts. Also, if it goes on for a long time, the neighbors will gossip about it," he thought.

Fang Chuanhui and Fang He were also happy after hearing this.

"Sister Xiaoxuan, Brother Linzi, congratulations!"

"I have seen villagers hold weddings and helped out before. I am very familiar with the place. When the time comes, I will also help with the preparations."

"We need to be prepared." Father Fang said, changing his usual attitude of lying down. At this moment, he was actually mustering up his energy and fighting spirit.

"Yes, Linzi, you don't have to worry about it. This is originally our job as parents. We will take care of it. You just wait."

Fang's mother thought: "Madam Ou has experience. We can ask her more questions and ask her for help. Keeping her busy will help her get better... Xiaoxuan's family can also be managed by the Ou family. Master Ou and Madam Ou are easy to talk to and will definitely agree."

Fang Lin couldn't get a word in about this matter for a while, so he let his mother figure it out. He turned around and pulled Tian Xuan, who was lost in thought, and said, "Sister Xuan, what are you thinking about?"

"Ah!" Tian Xuan was like a frightened little deer. She pulled her hand away, avoided his gaze, lowered her eyelids, waited for a while and whispered, "I'm thinking about the day of my wedding!"

"It's still early. According to today's customs, even if some procedures are completed, it will take at least one or two months to complete the whole process." Fang Lin said.

However, Tian Xuan only selectively heard that in one or two months, she would marry Fang Lin.

She was happy, shy, and expectant. She grew up with Fang Lin and knew him well. He was the person she loved. Fang's father and mother had already recognized him. She was much luckier than others. Unlike others, she didn't know the other person or his family and was worried. But she knew that it was sweet now and would be even sweeter after marriage. Her heart was like being soaked in honey, filled with sweetness.

The small house seemed to be filled with such joy, and the meal ended happily.

……

Birth, marriage, and death are undoubtedly the most important events in a person's life. This era attaches great importance to rituals. Fang's father and mother are in charge of the arrangements and go through the process slowly. Fang Lin's focus is still on the store.

Xuan Mo Zhai. Today, the colorful version and character cards of Romance of the Three Kingdoms were launched, and Fang Lin was in charge of the main store, ready to see the effect.

In the morning, an old customer came to the store with his son, bought some pens, ink, paper and inkstone, and was about to leave.

"Mr. Peng, please wait!" Huang Di called out to him, "If you spend more than five taels of silver, you will have a free chance to draw a lottery. You may win exquisite character cards or coupons of various amounts. If you are lucky, you may even win a colorful collector's edition of The Romance of the Three Kingdoms."

"Another event? That's great. Xuan Mo Zhai is indeed a time-honored shop that takes care of old customers. Your shopkeeper is also a very honest person!"

Mr. Peng said this, but he actually didn't have much hope. He thought that he would find time, and just because he didn't want to waste it, he let his son draw once. He didn't expect to draw a single card.

My son opened the sealed card. The act of opening a blind box itself was a joy. After opening it, he found it was a Yan Liang character card. The character was very beautifully painted and exquisitely made. It was also a hard card, so it was pleasing to the eye.

——In fact, this time, there is only a 10% chance of winning, a 50% chance of various cards, nearly a 40% chance of coupons of various amounts, and less than a % chance of a numbered colored book.

Mr. Peng is also a fan of the book Romance of the Three Kingdoms. He liked it very much when he saw the character cards. His son is also a fan of the book Romance of the Three Kingdoms and he liked it even more. The two of them commented on the book before leaving, feeling that this shopping was worth the money.

The customers behind saw this, calculated the prices of the things they bought, and were about to pay, but quietly returned the items to make up the lottery quota. After all, the pens, ink, paper and inkstone would not break, so it would not be a loss to buy some more and stockpile them. He could get a chance to draw the lottery for free, and who knows, he might even win an exquisite card. Why not?

After a while, the guest left happily with a Cao Cao character card.

After the event started, the exquisite character cards quickly sparked a collecting craze in the city, and book lovers flocked to buy and participate in the lottery.

When Romance of the Three Kingdoms was first released, it attracted a large number of schoolchildren, who became regular customers. Now, if a schoolchild gets a character card and shows it off to his classmates, what will happen? Word spreads, and more and more schoolchildren are forcing their parents to come to the store to buy books, writing brushes, inkstones, etc. They can also encourage their parents to buy more things in the store just for a chance to win a prize.

Some students from well-off families would use their pocket money to buy card packs, and soon experienced the joy and pain of card holders.

"It's Yan Liang again. Ugly people are often weird!"

"Er Ye is the hardest to get. I opened ten packs and nothing came out!"

"I have a card of Guan Erye. Are you jealous? Actually, Erye is not bad. The rarity is four and a half stars. It is said that there is also a gold card of Zhuge Kongming, which is the only character card of the second part that was released in advance."

……

Among these schoolchildren’s card collections, if anyone has a rare card, he or she will definitely be sought after and worshipped.

This kind of hard card is also very playable, and it has spawned other ways to play, such as tapping the card. Winning the card makes you smile, while losing the card makes you cry, becoming a bright spot in their childhood memories.

If the card collecting trend is most popular among school children, then those with the strongest spending power are still the wealthy young men and book lovers.

"Romance of the Three Kingdoms" is circulated in the city and is widely recognized. This lottery undoubtedly provides a consumption window for these wealthy young men who are not short of money. Many people directly shop in the store for a chance to win a color version of "Romance of the Three Kingdoms".

With the color version of the book and seeing those lifelike characters, how can you not collect cards?
Many people have obsessive-compulsive disorder. They have to collect a complete set of cards. They are crazy about spending money on card packs and simply don't treat money as money.

As a result, a craze swept the city. A copy of the illustrated book of Romance of the Three Kingdoms was sold for dozens of taels of silver. A copy with a lucky number like six or nine was sold for a hundred taels of silver, but the owner refused to sell it. Some rare character cards were also sold for a similar price. A gold card of Zhuge Kongming could be exchanged for half a house. Can you believe it? It was crazy.

……

In Qinghuan Residence, Gu Yuyan and Shi Wenjun are responsible for the production of illustrated books and character cards. They have a strong sense of participation, and are paying attention to this trend in the city, and feel proud of it.

……

After Dong Zugao passed the provincial examination, he had some free time and joined the trend to become a card collector. He complained to Fang Lin more than once that some cards were too difficult to draw, not to mention the painted version of "Romance of the Three Kingdoms".

……

I went to see Xu Kuolao, and he was also complaining, saying, "Xu Xianwen often went to you to buy pens, ink, paper and inkstone to support his business, and he came back with a lot of cards."

Fang Lin didn't even want to say, is this nephew supporting his business? Is he coveting his card! He even wanted to cheat him and get a Zhuge Kongming gold card, but he refused sternly.

What he didn't expect was that the father and son were of the same blood. After complaining for a while, Xu Kuo Lao said hesitantly that he wanted to use himself as the prototype for a character card in the next part of "Romance of the Three Kingdoms"... This scoundrel, Fang Lin kept pulling him to drink and wouldn't let him leave if he didn't agree, so he had no choice but to agree.

Then, this guy couldn't control his mouth and went to brag to others. Within two days, Lu Songlong and Ding Jizhong, the two men who were watching outside the main store of Xuan Mo Zhai and had sent Fu Hong away, came and said that they wanted two characters for the next character card. They also said that they were not picky, as long as they had a name and a surname. If they could live longer, that would be even better... Fang Lin was simply left with no choice but to laugh and cry.

……

Needless to say, as soon as the painted version and character cards of "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" were released, the business of Fang Lin's three bookstores once again ushered in a wave of boom. The other bookstores in the city were naturally envious and jealous, and it also reminded them of the fear of being dominated by Fang Lin's combination of punches last time.

To be honest, they had thought about pirating the painted version and character cards of "Romance of the Three Kingdoms", but finally gave up the idea.

Firstly, the Hong brothers in Shuxiang Pavilion had learned from their previous experience and did not dare to do so; secondly, the painted version and character cards of "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" used anti-counterfeiting measures. It's not that they cannot be cracked, but the cost of cracking them is extremely high.

Furthermore, the painted version and character cards of Romance of the Three Kingdoms all have serial numbers. In order to satisfy the desire of the big spenders to show off, a list was posted outside the store. Books and rare cards with special serial numbers are in the hands of the powerful and wealthy in the city. If you forge these cards, you will not only offend Xuan Mo Zhai, but also the powerful and wealthy who hold the real cards.

With such high costs, great risks and uncertain profits, they naturally would not do it.

However, some clever booksellers took this approach to other cities and copied it, causing another severe blow to booksellers elsewhere.

Objectively, this also opened up channels for the dissemination of "Romance of the Three Kingdoms", allowing other booksellers in the city to know how profitable "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" was. It set an example and when the second part came out, they flocked to grab the position of distributors.

……

The business in the store was booming. On weekdays, Fang Lin just drank tea, wrote manuscripts, had meals with Dong Zugao, and waited for the results of the provincial examination to come out.

Fang Lin's attitude of running the business with peace of mind, not climbing up the social ladder and not spreading his influence made the Fan family look at him with higher regard. After the character cards went on sale, the second son of the Fan family, Fan Qihui, came to express his support and bought goods worth hundreds of taels for the lottery.

After that, because of their rare interactions, the Fan family gradually forgot about Fang Lin. They only remembered that Fang Lin was a kind person and they had a good impression of him...

Fading out of the Fan family's sight was exactly what Fang Lin wanted. He had never thought of treating people as fools, undercovering around them, and inducing backstabbing. What was the difference between that and returning to the scene of the crime and trying to cover up the truth? Reality is not a novel. In many cases, it is better to kill the wrong person than to let him go.

Hiding, Fang Lin did his own thing at his own pace. He was patient enough with the enemy and waited for them to reveal their flaws.

There are many days to come. Sister Guihua has been planning for the Chen family for five or six years, so her patience may not be lacking.

The leisurely days passed slowly.

……

(End of this chapter)