The bookstore owner didn’t believe her. “Then tell me, what’s it about?”
Xu Mingzhu summarized the story in just a few sentences before looking at him and saying, “A straightforward story like this counts as a storybook? How hard could it be to guess?”
“Second Brother, if you like this sort of thing, I could tell you dozens of different stories without repeating a single one.”
The owner looked as though he had just heard the funniest joke in the world. He shook his head, said nothing more, and turned away to serve other customers.
“Little Sister, these books are written by scholars. That’s not the same as selling braised meat,” Xu Ming’an quickly whispered. “If you keep talking like that, they’re going to throw us out.”
Xu Mingzhu smiled. “How is it any different? All stories follow the same principles in the end. No matter how they’re dressed up, there are only so many plots. Martial-arts tales are always about a down-and-out swordsman who meets a noble family’s young lady. After one heroic rescue, they pledge themselves to each other for life. In the end, it usually comes down to fame, success, and a happy ending. Supernatural stories never stray far from fox spirits repaying kindness or female ghosts falling in love. Spirits enter the human world only to become infatuated with mortals and willingly sacrifice themselves for love. As for courtroom dramas, the magistrate solves every case by following clue after clue. The villains are foolish and ignorant, while the good people sail smoothly through every obstacle.”
Xu Ming’an didn’t fully understand what she was saying, but it somehow sounded right. “Little Sister, how do you know so much?”
“Wasn’t I trying to figure out what your brother-in-law liked before? I listened to quite a few stories at the gambling house.”
The bookstore owner, who had been walking away, suddenly stopped in his tracks. After a long moment, he turned around and carefully examined the young woman before him.
Dressed in coarse homespun, she looked utterly ordinary and unremarkable. Yet she seemed to know quite a lot.
Walking back toward her, he cupped his hands in greeting and asked: “Madam, that supernatural genre you mentioned just now, would you happen to know how to write one?”
Xu Mingzhu shook her head. “I can’t write.”
Making up story ideas was one thing, but if she actually knew how to write, her identity as an uneducated village girl would be exposed.
The bookstore owner refused to give up. “Then would you be willing to tell me the story? I can have someone write it down for you.”
Xu Mingzhu hadn’t expected such overused plotlines to be so appealing. Given how highly this era regarded learning and scholarship, and considering that the man owned such a large bookstore, he was clearly either wealthy or influential.
She declined politely. “I was just speaking off the top of my head. If I were to write storybooks, aren’t you afraid I’d ruin your shop’s reputation?”
The owner replied without hesitation: “As long as you’re willing to turn what you just described into a proper story, I’ll bear any consequences myself. With my years of experience, if a supernatural tale like that were published, it would definitely find buyers. By then, your name would be known throughout the land as well.”
Xu Mingzhu twitched the corner of her mouth. She wasn’t interested in fame in the slightest. “Forget it. As you know, I’m busy selling braised meat every day as it is. Second Brother, let’s go.”
The owner still wasn’t willing to let them leave. He stepped in front of them. “My surname is Yu, given name Tang. I’ve been running a bookstore in Qingzhou City for more than ten years. If you’re willing to provide the story, I’m prepared to pay you for it.”
At those words, Xu Mingzhu stopped mid-step and looked up at him. No matter how she looked, his expression was completely serious, without the slightest hint of teasing or mockery. He should have mentioned the money from the start. Why would she leave when there was money involved? Right now, that was exactly what she needed most.
“Payment?” she asked. “What would you pay for one story?”
Manager Yu: “…”
Sure enough, he was a businessman. The moment money was mentioned, his expression changed.
Still, if this young woman could really provide the kind of material she had described, it would almost certainly sell. Spending a bit of silver on it would be well worth it.
Manager Yu glanced at the customers coming and going through the bookstore. He took the storybook from the shelf and handed it to Xu Ming’an.
“Consider this a gift from me to mark our acquaintance. No charge.”
Xu Ming’an didn’t take it immediately. Instead, he looked at Xu Mingzhu. Only after she nodded did he accept the book.
Manager Yu continued, “If it’s convenient for you, Madam, would you be willing to come upstairs with me to the second floor? We can discuss this matter in detail.”
The moment Xu Mingzhu heard there was money involved, she stopped being coy. “Alright.”
The bookstore owner led the way, while Xu Mingzhu and Xu Ming’an followed behind him.
Xu Ming’an walked upstairs in a daze. Weren’t they supposed to be here to buy a storybook? How had it somehow turned into his little sister writing one instead? Wait. Since when did his little sister know how to write storybooks?
“Little Sister, maybe we should just leave,” Xu Ming’an said. He was convinced Xu Mingzhu was boasting and worried things would get awkward if she couldn’t follow through.
“It’s fine. Let’s hear him out first. If he doesn’t offer enough money, I simply won’t take the job.”
“But—”
“No more ‘buts.’ Think about our eldest niece still serving as a maid in the Chen household. If we can earn money another way, we can rescue her sooner.”
After they went upstairs, Manager Yu had someone bring over two cups of tea and a plate of pastries.
Xu Ming’an didn’t dare sit down, nor did he dare touch the food.
Xu Mingzhu ate a pastry herself and casually stuffed another into his hand. “This might take a while. Eat something first.”
“Okay,” Xu Ming’an replied, accepting it awkwardly and retreating to a corner to nibble on it.
After they had each drunk a cup of tea, Xu Mingzhu remained unhurried, waiting for Manager Yu to speak first.
“If you’re willing,” he began, “we can start by collaborating on a single story. You can dictate it now, and I’ll have someone transcribe it. If I’m satisfied with the result, I’ll pay you for that story upfront, then print and sell it. If five stories sell well, we can discuss a long-term arrangement and pricing afterward. What do you think?”
Hearing this, Xu Mingzhu thought that, sure enough, he was a businessman who had been in trade for over ten years. He even knew to test the waters first.
“Sounds good.” She agreed immediately, then added: “But I have a condition.”
“Please, go ahead.”
“I’ll provide story manuscripts for your bookstore on one condition: I want this arrangement kept confidential, and I want a confidentiality agreement.”
Manager Yu was somewhat surprised. Most people craved fame. If they truly had the talent to write, they would want the whole world to know their name. This young woman, on the other hand, seemed quite modest.
“Agreed.”
Before long, a clerk dressed as a scribe entered the room and prepared two contracts.
Xu Mingzhu glanced them over. The terms matched everything they had discussed, and it even included a confidentiality clause. Seeing no problems, she promptly pressed her thumbprint onto the documents.
“Miss, please begin,” the scribe said, spreading out paper and gesturing for her to start.
Xu Mingzhu took a sip of tea and began recounting the first supernatural tale: “Once upon a time, there was a scholar who spent the night in a deserted temple. In the middle of the night, he suddenly heard a woman’s voice whispering outside the window…”
The room became unusually quiet.
Only when Xu Mingzhu stopped abruptly at the most exciting part did the three listeners finally snap back to reality, especially Xu Ming’an. His little sister told stories far better than those customers had.
“Little Sister, what happens next?”
Xu Mingzhu smiled. “Of course I have to stop at the most important moment. That’s what makes people look forward to the next installment. That’s the first chapter. It should be about a thousand words.”
Manager Yu finally came to his senses. He immediately turned to Xu Mingzhu, suddenly worried he might offer too little money and offend her, causing her to withdraw the story altogether. “Madam, I like this story very much. Name your price.”
Xu Mingzhu wasn’t surprised at all. After all, the tale was based on legends that had endured for thousands of years. Their appeal spoke for itself. Getting straight to the point, she raised five fingers.
She thought to herself that although she was essentially retelling a story from memory, it had still taken effort. Charging five taels of silver for a thousand words wasn’t unreasonable, was it?
This trip alone was already earning as much as a full day of selling braised meat. It certainly wasn’t a wasted journey.
Manager Yu gritted his teeth and said, “Alright. Fifty taels it is. I’m certain this story will sell. Please continue thinking about the rest of the plot. Once we’ve gone through five installments, we’ll set a new price based on how well they sell. Don’t worry, I won’t treat you unfairly.”
Xu Mingzhu blinked. Fifty taels? She had only meant five taels!
She stared at the five fingers she held up and suddenly realized the braised-meat business wasn’t as profitable as she had thought. It seemed writing storybooks was really where the money was.