Poor but talented scholar

Chapter 51 Buying Books

On the 27th day of the twelfth lunar month, the spring chill was still lingering.

On the streets of Qingyang County, Lu De tightened his grip on the money pouch at his waist.

"Chuan'er, is this the place?" Lu Dehuang stopped and looked up at the black sign with gold lettering—Moxiang Bookstore.

Compared to the hustle and bustle of the butcher shop and cloth shop next door, the entrance to this bookstore was unusually solemn, with all those entering and leaving dressed in long gowns and cloth shoes.

Lu Shouye stood at the door, subconsciously patting the dust off his clothes, looking somewhat flustered. Only Lu Chuan remained calm and stepped inside.

Inside the bookstore, a rich aroma of sandalwood and ink wafted through the air. The shopkeeper, behind the counter, was fiddling with an abacus. Hearing footsteps, he looked up and saw the two farmers, one old and one young. He raised an eyebrow slightly and spoke in a nonchalant tone:

"Old man, you can buy New Year pictures on the next street. If you want to buy the 'Thousand Character Classic,' the one on the table is a reprint, 150 coins a book."

Lu Dehuang didn't speak, but just looked at Lu Chuan.

Lu Chuan stepped forward, stood in front of the counter, his back ramrod straight, and said in a clear voice, "Shopkeeper, I don't want to buy primers for children. I'd like a set of official editions of the 'Collected Annotations on the Four Books,' the one personally edited by Zhu Xi."

The shopkeeper's hand, which was moving the abacus, suddenly stopped, and several scholars around him who were selecting books also turned around in surprise.

The official edition with annotations is a valuable item. Why would a farm boy ask for that?

"The official annotated edition?" The shopkeeper put down his abacus and looked Lu Chuan over again. "That set of books costs two taels of silver. Young man, have you thought this through? That's enough for your family to buy two strong young oxen."

Lu Dehuang finally stepped forward. Although he was reluctant to spend the money, he absolutely had to spend it for Chuan'er's education.

He took out the blue cloth bag from his pocket and placed it on the counter. The bag opened to reveal neatly arranged pieces of silver and some copper coins inside.

The shopkeeper's previously somewhat disdainful gaze instantly vanished.

He was a seasoned veteran who had been through many trials and tribulations, so he could naturally tell that the money was from a legitimate source.

The shopkeeper became much more polite and turned to go into the inner room.

A moment later, he came out carrying a rectangular wooden box in both hands.

The wooden box was opened, and four beautifully packaged books were presented to everyone.

It was the finest Kaihua paper, pure white as jade, with deep, lustrous ink.

Each page has a large blank space in the header and footer, which is reserved for readers to write annotations and contemplate the essence of the text.

Lu Chuan reached out and gently stroked the cool book cover with his fingertips.

"The book is correct, and the printing style is also official. Please wrap it up, shopkeeper." Lu Chuan took a deep breath, his voice so steady that even the shopkeeper was secretly amazed.

Lu Dehuang paid the money promptly. Although he felt as if a piece of his heart had been ripped out, looking at Chuan'er's composed demeanor, he felt that he could stand up straighter than usual.

He carefully took the wooden box from the counter, wrapped it tightly in three layers of old blue cloth, and handed it to Lu Chuan.

"Chuan'er, hold on tight. From now on, this book will be the Lu family's most prized possession."

When the three of them walked out of the bookstore, the sky outside was already somewhat gloomy, and the wind whipped up snowflakes that stung their faces.

Lu Shouye rubbed his hands, which were red from the cold, and chuckled, "Sixth Uncle, now that we've bought the book, shouldn't we head back? My heart is pounding louder than firecrackers during the New Year after spending those two taels of silver."

"Go back? We haven't bought the brushes and ink yet!" Lu Dehuang glared at him. "Can we waste an official book with a lousy brush? Come on, let's go buy two more decent sheep-hair brushes."

On this trip to the city, the five taels of silver I had prepared not only did not run out after I sold the medicinal herbs at Ji'an Hall, but actually became quite substantial.

But when it came to spending money, Lu Chuan was exceptionally frugal.

Instead of choosing those flashy but impractical rosewood brush handles, he picked out several flexible and durable badger and sheep hair brushes.

There's no need to buy ink; the one that Manager Sun bought will suffice.

In his view, these things are tools, and as long as they are sufficient and easy to use, that is enough.

By the time all the purchases were completed, the sun was already setting.

After a busy day, everyone was starving and suffering from cold and hunger.

Seeing that Lu Shouye and Lu Chuan's faces were blue from the cold, Lu Dehuang waved his hand and led everyone to a meat bun stall with a large pot of steaming meat buns.

"Shopkeeper, bring me six large meat buns, the ones with thick meat and lots of fat!"

"Here, two for each of you, have some while they're hot!" Lu Dehuang handed out the steaming buns.

White flour buns with meat are a real rarity for farmers who usually eat coarse rice and other grains.

The dough was soft and white; when you bit into it, the rich aroma of meat and the scalding hot oil instantly filled your mouth.

Lu Shouye and Lu Shouyi also ate heartily, and most of the fatigue from the day seemed to have dissipated.

Lu Chuan slowly took a bite of the steamed bun in his hand.

After finishing the first one, he looked at the one left in his hand and suddenly slowed down.

He thought of his hardworking mother and sister at home.

Lu Shouye knew his son best. Seeing Lu Chuan's sensible appearance, the man felt a lump in his throat. He quickly took out a few more coins, bought a few extra, wrapped them up, and put them in his pocket. He said in a low voice, "Chuan'er, eat with peace of mind. Dad also brought some for your mother and Xiaoman."

When we returned to Lujia Village, it was already dusk.

Lu Shouye jumped out of the car, carrying two meat buns in his arms, and hurried home to give them to his wife and Xiaoman.

Lu Dehuang didn't rest either. He slapped his thigh and told Lu Chuan to invite the clan elders in charge to the ancestral hall for discussion.

The charcoal brazier inside the house burned brightly, illuminating the wrinkled faces of several clan elders.

Lu Dehuang opened the slightly yellowed ledger, his fingertips tracing the dense rows of numbers, his voice sounding particularly deep in the empty room:

"That year, Chuan'er's tuition and meals at Qingyang Academy, plus the odds and ends for buying elementary school books and writing materials, have already cost seven strings and six hundred cash in the public account."

"Today I went into town and spent two taels of silver and two thousand cash on that official edition of the Four Books with Commentary. In total, it cost me almost ten strings of cash."

The room fell into a deathly silence after those words were spoken.

"Dehuang, it's not that we're worried about the money, it's just that we're afraid we'll have to spend even more in the future." An elder tapped his pipe, looking worried. "Next year, the expenses will only increase, not decrease. Although we're seeing a return on our medicinal herb fields, this way of filling them up..."

Just then, the door to the meeting room was pushed open, and Lu Chuan walked in.

He was carrying a cloth bag.

Amid the astonished gazes of the elders, he walked to the table and gently emptied the contents of his pocket.

With a series of clanging sounds, a neat pile of copper coins and a few pieces of silver were revealed on the table, gleaming enticingly in the charcoal fire.

"This is six hundred and eighty cash," Lu Chuan said calmly. "It's the fee I received today for revising Spring Festival couplets in the county town, as well as a red envelope from Steward Sun. I've already deposited this money into today's public account."

Lu Dehuang was taken aback: "Chuan'er, you can keep this money to buy writing materials, why bother..."

"The books are provided by the entire clan, and what Chuan'er obtains naturally belongs to the entire clan." Lu Chuan's eyes were clear as he looked around at the clan elders. "Grandfathers and uncles, Chuan'er knows what these ten strings of cash mean."

"But studying is not just about giving without receiving. If I can exchange my calligraphy for money in the county town today, and if I pass the imperial examination tomorrow, that money will flow back to our Lujia Village a hundredfold or a thousandfold."