89 Chapter 89: Selling Books
“Then why is he doing it?” Big Girl Li’s face was full of suspicion.
Liu Daniu said earnestly, “The trouble he caused on the road was because he was afraid that Sister Sanya would be tired, and he wanted me to take over Sister Sanya’s place.”
Big Girl Li was stunned, then she thought about it.
Was… it really like this?
She looked at her man with some uncertainty.
After that incident, it was indeed her Daniu who took over Sister Sanya’s place to push the handcart.
“Then… what about just now?” As she spoke, she pointed in the direction where Qin Xiaoyao and Song Que had left, but her tone was much better now.
“Just now…” Liu Daniu paused, his mind spinning quickly, trying to come up with a reason for Song Que.
“I guess what happened just now was because Brother Song wanted to be alone with Sister Sanya!”
“Or is he afraid that if he follows us to Fortune Mansion with one injured leg, he will embarrass Sister Sanya?” Liu Daniu then said.
What embarrassment? Based on his understanding of Brother Song, it would be a good thing if Brother Song didn’t think that Sister Sanya embarrassed him.
However, this wasn’t important. What was important was that he couldn’t let his wife offend that venomous snake.
Otherwise, it would be too late for them to regret it.
Big Girl Li was stunned again.
Then, she suddenly felt a little guilty inwardly.
“Real… really?” she asked Liu Daniu guiltily.
Liu Daniu quickly regained his composure.
“Of course! Brother Song is an awkward person, and he’s too embarrassed to tell Sister Sanya about such things.”
Looking at his simple-minded wife, Liu Daniu reached out and pulled her hand.
“Let’s not get involved in this couple’s business,” he said.
Big Girl Li raised her head and looked at Liu Daniu. She thought for a moment, then nodded.
“Okay.”
Liu Daniu heaved a sigh of relief.
He thought to himself that it was a good thing his wife was easily fooled.
Meanwhile, Qin Xiaoyao pushed Song Que all the way to Cirrus Loft Bookstore.
When the shop assistant in the bookstore saw Song Que, he immediately came out of the bookstore to welcome him.
When he realized that Song Que could not move freely, he even reached out to help him.
Seeing that the shop owner had also come out, Qin Xiaoyao was about to step forward, but she saw Song Que turn around and look at her.
He even said to her, “You can leave now.”
Qin Xiaoyao’s expression froze.
“You’re finally here, Mr. Song.” At this moment, the shop owner had already come over and even cupped his hands in greeting towards Song Que.
“Mr. Wang,” Song Que returned the greeting.
Then, Mr. Wang looked at Qin Xiaoyao.
“Madam Qin.” He also greeted Qin Xiaoyao.
Qin Xiaoyao hurriedly returned the greeting.
Qin Xiaoyao felt Song Que frowning at her again, and she quickly said, “I still have to deliver the goods. I’ll take my leave first.”
After speaking, she cupped her hands at Mr. Wang in farewell.
Mr. Wang was quite surprised. Just as he was about to say something, Qin Xiaoyao had already walked to the handcart and pushed it away.
Mr. Wang watched as Qin Xiaoyao walked further and further away, and he only came back to his senses after a long while.
However, when he turned around, he saw Song Que frowning at him.
“Oh, please come in, Mr. Song…” Then, he quickly adjusted his state of mind and made an inviting gesture toward Song Que.
“Please,” Song Que also replied indifferently.
Then, he allowed the shop assistant to help him into Cirrus Loft Bookstore with Mr. Wang.
After entering the bookstore, Mr. Wang brought Song Que to the inner hall and even asked the shop assistant to make tea.
After chatting for a while, Song Que took out a book from his pocket and handed it to Mr. Wang.
Mr. Wang took the book and flipped through a few pages before his expression changed.
“This book…” He looked at Song Que in shock.
Song Que nodded.
“It’s Teacher Wen Yuan’s selected works.”
Seeing Mr. Wang’s shocked expression, Song Que continued, “Although it’s a hand-copied version, the contents are all true to the original.”
Mr. Wang’s expression changed slightly.
Then, he asked Song Que, “Mr. Song, have you read this book?”
Song Que nodded.
“My father taught me.”
...
Seeing that Mr. Wang was about to speak, Song Que continued, “It’s not just Teacher Wen Yuan’s selected works. I also have many similar out-of-print books in my house.”
Mr. Wang’s eyes lit up.
“They’re all hand-copied?” He asked Song Que.
The value of a hand-copied book was far inferior to those original ancient books. However, if it was copied without any mistakes, the value of its usefulness was equal.
There was no printing technology in this era, and books were distributed by hand-copying, which was why books were so expensive.
Some of the better books would be collected by influential families very quickly after they were released. If it couldn’t be circulated in the market for a long time, it was easy to turn into an isolated copy.
For the imperial examination, if one only read ordinary books, a talented candidate still had a chance of securing scholarly honor.
However, if he wanted to go further, he needed to broaden his horizons and read more widely.
If his family didn’t have a strong background, they wouldn’t be able to read omnilegently. It would be as difficult as ascending to the heavens to stand out from the crowd of scholars.
This was also the reason sole-copy books were so hard to find.
If Song Que really had the only copy extant of such a masterpiece in his hands, even if it were just a hand-copied version, its value would be hard to estimate.
...
“Yes,” Song Que answered.
Mr. Wang’s eyes lit up again.
“Mr. Song, are you willing to sell it to me?” He looked at Song Que anxiously.
No doubt, after he got these books, he could hire people to copy them and sell the copies.
At that point, he did not have to worry about his business anymore.
In addition, the children in his family could also use it.
Furthermore, if he was unwilling to let the book circulate outside, he could seal it at home and leave it behind as the family’s inheritance to boost his family’s prestige.
“Yes,” Song Que answered.
Then he said, “50 taels of silver.”
Mr. Wang was shocked.
Song Que did not seem to mind and reached out to take his book back.
Then, he waved it in front of Mr. Wang.
“This volume of Teacher Wen Yuan’s selected works is available for 50 taels of silver if Mr. Wang is interested.”
“In addition, I promise I won’t let this book circulate in the outside world again,” Song Que said in a low voice.
The volume of Teacher Wen Yuan’s selected works was extremely rare in the world.
However, this author was revered by scholars of the current era. This volume, even if it was only a hand-copied version, was still worth a lot.
Only in a place like Mountain Spring Town was he willing to sell the book for only 50 taels of silver.
If it was in…
Forget it. In his current situation, 50 taels of silver for this book was already a sky-high price.
Hesitation flashed across Mr. Wang’s face.
He looked at the book in Song Que’s hand and then looked away.
“If it’s just a hand-copied version, the price is too high.”
“I’ll pay 30 taels.” Then, he reached out his hand.
Song Que shot one glance at Mr. Wang and put the book back in his pocket.
Then, he stood up.
Mr. Wang was shocked and quickly reached out to stop him.
“Don’t be in such a hurry, Mr. Song. Let’s discuss this further.” Then, he forcefully helped Song Que back to his seat.
Mr. Wang’s brows were tightly furrowed.
He waited until Song Que relented and sat down again.
He then spoke again. “50 taels of silver is indeed too high. The thing is, although I’ve heard of Teacher Wen Yuan’s selected works, I’ve never read them, so… it’s hard to tell if this is real or fake.”
Song Que raised his head again and looked at Mister Wang.
“Mr. Wang, do you think I’m lying to you?” he said somewhat angrily.
Mr. Wang’s expression drastically.