“All the things have been bought. If you want anything else, you can go on your own,” Pei Qianhuai said calmly, stepping forward.
Song Shiyu stared at him for a moment, trying to read him, but saw nothing unusual and finally relaxed.
She had just gotten up, ready to leave, when the children on the donkey cart woke up.
Pei Jin’an: “Where are we going? Can my sister and I come?”
Pei Qianhuai glanced at him, then at Song Shiyu.
Song Shiyu immediately caught on, clearing her throat and nodding: “Sure! What’s wrong with that?”
Pei Qianhuai had someone watch the donkey cart, then packed the newly purchased supplies into baskets, shouldered them himself, and led the Pei siblings, following behind Song Shiyu.
She had no intention of hiding her abilities.
Being this capable, and having to interact with Pei Qianhuai over the long term, there was no point in pretending otherwise.
Might as well go with the flow.
Soon, Song Shiyu led them toward the bookstore.
“How come we’re going to a bookstore? What’s so special there?” Pei Jin’an was the first to feel curious, since he had never seen Song Erxiao show interest in any bookstore before.
Pei Qianhuai didn’t respond, his deep eyes reflecting a mix of curiosity and slight confusion.
“Do you know the shopkeeper? Do you know the current market prices for paper?”
Before entering the shop, Song Shiyu asked the questions she needed answered so she could be prepared.
Pei Qianhuai looked at her: “It depends on the paper you want. There’s expensive paper and cheaper paper. Ever since papermaking improved, paper hasn’t been so costly. But based on the material, imperial or temple-use paper is more expensive.”
“If you want ordinary large formal paper, a thousand sheets cost sixteen taels.”
Song Shiyu’s eyes widened. Her steps faltered, and she turned to look at Pei Qianhuai, disbelief written all over her face.
“Wait… paper is this cheap?”
Wasn’t ancient paper supposed to be expensive?
She had read countless online novels, all saying that becoming literate and studying was incredibly difficult—because literacy was low and materials like brushes, ink, and paper were costly, often beyond ordinary students.
But now… what Pei Qianhuai said left her dumbfounded.
“There’s paper even cheaper than the large formal sheets. Seven-paper, ten taels, ten thousand sheets.”
Song Shiyu was stunned.
She started calculating: ten thousand sheets for ten taels… that’s a thousand sheets per tael.
Damn, even cheaper!
Much cheaper than she had imagined.
Pei Qianhuai raised an eyebrow at her reaction, assuming she was simply unaware because of a wealthy upbringing, ignorant of daily costs.
He patiently explained further:
“Why would paper be expensive? If it were, how could ordinary people afford window coverings or make lanterns? Only the elite’s special paper is pricey. For example, ten sheets of celadon-blue paper cost a tael of silver…”
Song Shiyu: “!”
Had she been misled by online novels all these years? Or fooled by fake history?
It made sense—after the Qing conquest, cultural destruction was severe, and literacy was below 1%! Even historical records were incomplete or falsified.
Now that she thought about it, Dali, where she was, was like the peaceful Song–Ming period: commerce was thriving, grains, vegetables, and fruits abundant.
Paper was everywhere. If Pei Qianhuai hadn’t mentioned it, she would have forgotten about lanterns entirely.
Moreover, funerals already used paper money long ago.
If paper were really as expensive as the books said, families would go bankrupt just burning paper for the dead!
Song Shiyu’s mind reeled.
Lost in thought, she reached the bookstore.
Once confident, she now hesitated.
Pei Jin’an noticed her hesitation and laughed: “What’s this? You’re scared now? I knew you had no skill—just all bluffing before!”
Song Shiyu ignored him, took a deep breath, and stepped firmly into the bookstore.
Pei Qianhuai had no intention of entering, but Pei Jin’an tugged at him:
“Uncle! Don’t you want to see the truth about this woman?”
“Uncle, if you don’t go in, I’ll tear up all the books inside and embarrass her, then let’s see how you…”
But Pei Jin’an never finished.
Pei Qianhuai yanked him by the ear. The pain made him forget about opposing Song Shiyu.
Pei Jinxi followed behind, glancing at the bookstore.
Song Erxiao had never gone anywhere alone before. Previously, even speaking to others, she had some fear and only dared raise her voice to familiar people or those friendly to her.
She wasn’t sure if this would work…
..
Inside the bookstore, Song Shiyu first scanned the collection.
To her surprise, they had everything: books for children’s literacy, maps, and more.
Though the drawings differed from later styles, they had their own charm.
Especially the paintings, using techniques reminiscent of advanced Song Dynasty art: emphasis on blank space, full of atmosphere.
A few brushstrokes could evoke the scene ordinary people desired. Standing there, Song Shiyu was struck.
With her lazy, half-hearted skill level, could she really stand out among these works?
Damn!
She had thought coming to the past would make her exceptional. Now she realized, she had overestimated herself.
Ancient people were much smarter.
Thinking of the books on arithmetic and inventions she had read about in novels, Song Shiyu drew a deep breath. Surely the ancients couldn’t be that strong in everything, right?
..
She finally found the bookstore master and explained her purpose.
At the sight of Song Shiyu, Master Yu reflexively felt aversion—he was about to avoid her, but she caught him in the act.
Unable to escape, he had no choice but to help her find the books.
“You want books on numerology? Don’t you already know basic arithmetic? Haven’t you learned the abacus?” Master Yu frowned.
Song Shiyu opened her mouth: “No.”
She had only learned columnar addition and subtraction.
Master Yu: “Hmph.”
His eyes held disdain.
“You don’t even know arithmetic? How will you help your husband manage the household? Don’t you know that a lady managing a shop must understand the basic accounts?”
Damn! Such a scatterbrained woman, how could she assist Pei Qianhuai?
Song Shiyu: “…Well, my husband can handle it himself. If not, we can hire a few shopkeepers, can’t we?”