readytorunbook Chapter 882 Dude
Chapter 882 Dude
The shops across the street from the Imperial College are not cheap.
The shop that Diwu Na was taking Shen Zheng to look at was located diagonally opposite the Imperial College.
Stepping onto the carved bluestone street, you will see a large shop with three doors.
On the left side of the shop is a calligraphy and painting shop, and on the right side is a luxurious teahouse filled with fragrance.
Under Yu Shizhang's puzzled gaze, Shen Zheng walked into the pen and ink shop next door.
She said, "You and the Fifth Master can wait for me next door. You don't have to come in."
The bead curtain was pulled aside with one hand, and the bell hanging above rang softly, and the waiter came over after hearing the sound.
"This gentleman...girl?"
The waiter tied his hair up with a plain hairpin and wore a cloth shirt with a double collar. The style of the shirt was similar to the Qingjin shirt of the Imperial Academy.
Seeing that the visitor was a woman, the waiter's smile fell a little, "Young lady, are you a student of the Imperial Academy?"
There are many students in the Imperial College, but the number of female students can be counted on one hand.
He had seen the appearances of those people before, but none of them looked like the one in front of him.
Shen Zheng raised her leg and took two steps inside.
The shop is exquisitely furnished. There are pens and ink on the left table, inkstone on the right table, and papers of different thicknesses and colors stacked on the antique shelf inside.
She walked to the left and nodded, "I am indeed not a student of the Imperial Academy."
The waiter immediately followed and asked tentatively, "Girl...do you have any brothers studying in the Imperial College?"
Picking up a pen, Shen Zheng shook her head: "Neither."
Looking at the brush in her hand, the waiter's expression changed, "Is the man that girl likes studying in the Imperial College?"
Shen Zheng was amused, and looked at the brush head and said, "Does this lady have to be related to the Imperial College?"
It was clearly some impolite words, but somehow the waiter's attitude became a little better.
"That's not true, young lady. It's just that this shop has been here for some years. I know all the young masters in the Imperial College and understand their preferences. If you want to give someone a pen and ink, I can help you choose one or two. Oh, by the way, the pen in your hand is twenty taels of silver."
"Twenty taels of silver?" Shen Zheng frowned and handed the brush back. "Too expensive. Do you have a cheaper one?"
The guy's face changed slightly when he heard this, and he reached out to take the brush back.
He pulled out a handkerchief from his bosom, wiped the pen from beginning to end, and put it back in its place before saying, "Miss, how is twenty taels of silver expensive? This is a rat whisker pen. My uncle once said that the rat whiskers are very strong and can be used for fine writing. This is the pen that can write on gold foil."
"Uncle?" Shen Zheng asked curiously, "Which uncle?"
Did Yu Shizhang ever say such extravagant words?
The waiter looked at her suspiciously and said, "Gardebo, young lady, you...are not from the capital?"
If he was a person from Beijing, how could he not even recognize Gadbert?
He worked in this pen and ink shop for several years. Although he did not make the acquaintance of the powerful, he did develop a keen eye.
He could tell at a glance whether anyone who stepped into the shop had money in his pocket and whether he was pretending to be rich or was really rich.
I thought the girl in front of me was of extraordinary appearance and came from a wealthy family, but I didn't expect... that she was from the countryside.
Shen Zheng turned her head and looked at him, smiling: "You are an interesting person. Since I stepped into your shop, you have been trying to find out about my family background. Let's be frank. I am from the county town. I usually use bamboo pens, which are only a few dozen coins each. I can't afford the pen you just used. Do you have any cheaper ones?"
The guy didn't expect her to say it so bluntly. After a slight pause, he didn't know how to respond.
The two of them stared at each other, and a few guys passing by whispered to them curiously.
After another half a minute, the waiter looked strange and said, "I see that you are a straightforward person, so I won't beat around the bush with you. Our shop serves the rich. We have pens that cost two hundred taels, not to mention the twenty taels. I see that you are very generous. Even if you don't have money in your pocket, you have money in your heart. This shop is not suitable for you. If you want to buy bamboo pens, I will point you to two shops. When you go there, just say you are from Ya Ge and they will give you a few cents less."
After saying this, the clerk took out half a piece of waste paper from his bosom, picked up the pen and ink on the table for people to try out, and wrote the names of the two shops.
"Yes, take it, girl."
Shen Zheng took the waste paper and looked down.
The handwriting on the paper was very ordinary, only slightly better than Watteau's, but fortunately the strokes were clear and not difficult to recognize.
Putting the waste paper into his sleeve, Shen Zheng said with a smile: "I thought you would be upset and kick me out."
Seeing that she was easy to talk to, the guy couldn't help but talk more.
"Not really. No matter how poor you are, you are still a customer. No matter how knowledgeable I am, I am just a clerk. To be honest, I just told you that twenty taels of silver is not expensive, but what about the reality? Even if you turn my house upside down, you can't find twenty taels of silver. Why should I laugh at you?"
He couldn't be clearer about his position.
We are all poor people, there is no need to make things difficult for each other and let the rich have fun.
His words stopped Shen Zheng, who was about to go out.
Shen Zheng asked: "So you were just trying to find out about my family background?"
The waiter said, "It depends on the person. The things in this shop are so expensive. If you don't find out more, it will be a waste of time. Besides..."
He came closer and lowered his voice, "The young man across the street is not easy to serve. I have to be more careful. What if you are someone who has appointed you? I can take credit for it later."
Such straightforward words made Shen Zheng laugh.
"You are quite thoughtful. I have something else to do, so I won't keep you any longer. Thank you for showing me the way."
The waiter helped her open the beaded curtain and said, "Miss, if you become rich in the future, remember to come to Ya Ge for a visit. If you call my name, I can get a few dozen more copper coins."
Shen Zheng lowered her head and walked around the beaded curtain, smiling, "Definitely."
After going out, she walked next door.
Yu Shizhang and Diwu Na were talking in the shop next door. When he saw her coming, Yu Shizhang stepped forward and asked, "Are you going to check on your neighbor's character? Why did you take so long?"
Shen Zheng took out the waste paper from her sleeve and said with a smile, "I met an interesting person and talked to him for a while."
Yu Shizhang took the waste paper, unfolded it and took a look, then his face wrinkled.
His face was full of disdain, "It's a pen and ink shop after all, but this handwriting... looks like dog crawling."
Shen Zheng took back the waste paper, her lips slightly curved, "This was written by the shop assistant. By the way, Master Diwu, does the pen and ink shop next door belong to the Diwu family?"
Diwu Nazheng shook his head, "In the beginning, I only managed to get two shops in this area. One is the one under our feet, and the other is the teahouse next door."
Land in the capital is very expensive. Although the Imperial College is not located in a prosperous area, most of the people who come and go are dignitaries in the capital. For the Fifth Family to be able to take over two shops here, it is already a remarkable strength.
After he finished speaking, he asked again: "This shop...what do you think of it, Lord Shen?"