The pastry in Xu Ming’an’s hand dropped onto the table with a plop. “N-nine hundred copies? All sold out?”
“All of them,” Manager Yu replied. “I had three bookstores release it at the same time, three hundred copies each. This morning, all three stores sent word that they’d completely sold out.”
From the day he received the supernatural story manuscript, Manager Yu had worked through the night arranging for it to be printed.
Mofang Studio had a complete printing operation. From carving the woodblocks to applying the ink, experienced craftsmen handled every step. By the next day, the books had already been printed and distributed to bookstores throughout the neighboring cities.
No one had expected what happened next.
The moment the books appeared on the shelves, readers were captivated by the strange, fantastical plot.
The first scholar who bought a copy stood at the doorway and flipped through a few pages. Then he immediately ran off to summon his classmates. Those classmates told their own friends, who told still more people.
In less than half a day, the news spread through the scholarly community as if it had grown wings.
Manager Yu was so excited that he was nearly incoherent. He even laughed at himself. “You have no idea. This is a first for me! I originally thought it would take three months to sell through the print run, but it didn’t even last two days.”
Turning toward Xu Mingzhu, his eyes practically shone. “Miss Xu, nine hundred copies! Master Wang’s Guide to the Capital Examinations was printed three years ago, and two hundred copies are still gathering dust in storage. And when Storyteller Zhou published his own book, he only dared print three hundred copies for the first edition. It took half a year to sell out.”
Manager Yu personally refilled Xu Mingzhu’s teacup. “To be honest, Miss Xu, I’ve managed bookstores for over ten years, and I’ve never seen anything like this. People are lining up before dawn, like a market fair. Every one of them is asking when the next chapter will be released. So I was wondering whether you might be able to…”
Holding her teacup, Xu Mingzhu calmly took a sip.
Manager Yu had long since looked into Xu Mingzhu’s background. He knew she was only a villager from Xinghua Village who had begun selling braised meat to make a living through a lucky opportunity. Yet the woman before him had calm, clear features and carried herself with quiet confidence and composure. There was not the slightest trace of rustic awkwardness one would expect from a village-born woman.
Turning toward the door, he called out.
An assistant promptly entered carrying a red sandalwood box.
Manager Yu took it and respectfully placed it before Xu Mingzhu. When he opened it, four brand-new banknotes lay inside.
“Miss Xu, these are banknotes worth four hundred taels. Previously, we agreed on fifty taels per chapter for the first few installments. Looking back, I realize how shortsighted I was.” He cupped his hands respectfully and continued in a sincere tone: “From now on, one chapter will be worth one hundred taels. This is payment for the remaining four chapters.”
Xu Ming’an nearly choked on the pastry in his mouth. “Four… four hundred taels?”
He rubbed his eyes several times before finally accepting that he wasn’t dreaming and hadn’t misread it.
Four hundred taels. He still hadn’t recovered from the shock of the fifty taels Xu Mingzhu had earned a few days ago. And now she had earned another four hundred. In all his life, he had never even seen a banknote worth one hundred taels. Yet his little sister had casually earned four of them.
Fortunately, after everything Xu Mingzhu had done recently, Xu Ming’an’s nerves had been toughened considerably. Otherwise, he might have jumped out the window right then and there and announced to the entire city that his little sister had just earned four hundred taels in one stroke. Even in his wildest dreams, he wouldn’t have dared dream of so much money at once.
Xu Mingzhu looked at the stack of banknotes. But she didn’t reach out to take them immediately.
This finally made Xu Ming’an anxious. He was terrified that the four hundred taels might somehow slip away.
Manager Yu gritted his teeth and continued, “I’ve already written to our proprietor. Once the next few chapters are finished, Mofang Studio would like to sign a long-term contract with you. For the next three years, all supernatural storybooks written by you must be published exclusively through Mofang Studio. From now on, for every chapter you write, regardless of sales, we’ll guarantee a minimum payment of two hundred taels. And if sales are strong, you’ll receive an additional twenty percent share of the profits from subsequent print runs.”
After a pause, he lowered his voice and added, “Mofang Studio even has branches in the capital. Our proprietor is very influential. If you choose to work with us, should you encounter any trouble in the future, we’ll do our best to handle it for you.”
This immediately caught Xu Mingzhu’s interest, though nothing showed on her face. At the moment, she was merely an ordinary village woman with neither power nor influence. Although she knew the male lead, he hadn’t taken the imperial examinations yet. If someone truly wanted to make trouble for her now, she wouldn’t have much ability to resist.
A business as large as Mofang Studio certainly had some backing. Since she had no connections to important people, there was no reason to refuse a wealthy patron who offered both money and protection.
After thinking for a moment, she asked, “I have a niece who’s ten years old. I’ve recently been thinking about sending her to school to learn a few things. Would Manager Yu happen to know a suitable teacher?”
“That won’t be difficult,” Manager Yu replied at once. “I know an old teacher named Master Gu, who runs a private academy. He’s quite open-minded and has accepted a few female students in the past. I’ll go ask him tomorrow. If it turns out to be inconvenient on his end…”
He paused and looked at Xu Mingzhu seriously. “Then we’ll simply find a place where it isn’t.”
Xu Mingzhu accepted the redwood box and rose to her feet. “Then I’ll have to trouble you with that, Manager Yu.”
The moment he saw her accept the money, the weight hanging over Manager Yu’s heart finally lifted. He immediately drafted a new contract.
For the sake of those four hundred taels, Xu Mingzhu dictated another two chapters in one sitting.
By the time she and Xu Ming’an left Mofang Studio, an hour had already passed.
“What were you two talking about in there?” Li Laizi and Mother Xu had been waiting downstairs in the bookstore.
Xu Ming’an nearly blurted out the truth but managed to swallow the words back down. With a smile, he said, “Nothing much. Manager Yu likes our braised meat. I mentioned wanting to open a restaurant someday, and he immediately said he wanted to invest.”
“Huh?” Mother Xu froze. “Open a restaurant?”
Xu Mingzhu nodded. “Selling from a street stall every day isn’t a long-term solution. I was thinking it might be more convenient to rent a proper shop.”
Mother Xu had spent her entire life in Xinghua Village and had never done business before. Even after several days of selling braised meat, she still felt nervous about it. Who would have thought that in just a few days they would already be talking about opening a restaurant?
“Mingzhu, are we really going to open a restaurant? My heart’s pounding just thinking about it.”
Xu Mingzhu quickly reassured her. “It’s alright, Mother. I’ve got everything under control. Don’t be afraid.”
“And you’ve got me too,” Xu Ming’an added without hesitation. After all, his little sister had just earned another huge sum of money. From now on, she’d have a guaranteed income of at least two hundred taels whenever she wrote. What was there to fear? Following her lead definitely couldn’t be wrong.
“And me too!” Li Laizi immediately chimed in. “I don’t care whether you’re selling braised meat at a roadside stall or in a restaurant. I’ll help you either way.”
Xu Mingzhu had originally been wondering whether she should wait a little longer. But seeing the concerned looks on the faces of the three people before her, she instantly felt her confidence return.
“Alright then. For the next few days, after we finish selling the braised meat, we’ll go look at some shopfronts. If we find a suitable one, we’ll rent it.”
After speaking, she glanced at everyone’s clothes and clapped her hands decisively. “You’ve all worked hard these past few days. Come on, let’s go get something good to eat. Then we’ll buy ourselves some decent clothes.”
Mother Xu smiled so broadly that the wrinkles at the corners of her eyes deepened. “New clothes? There’s no need for all that. As long as they can be worn, they’re fine.”
“Nonsense,” Xu Mingzhu replied. “We’re about to become people who run a proper business. How can we not look presentable?”
Li Laizi immediately nodded in agreement. “That’s right! Auntie, when the restaurant opens, you’ll be the proprietress. You can’t keep wearing patched clothes.”
Xu Ming’an laughed. “Then I’ll get a new outfit too. When customers see us, they’ll know we’re serious about business.”
The atmosphere among the group instantly became lively.
For the first time in a very long while, everyone felt that the days ahead seemed bright and full of promise.