Chapter 13

A Cheap Price Like This—Nowhere Else

The maid’s face remained tense the entire time as she listened to the descriptions of the items in the boxes before her.

Meanwhile, Old Yang continued to praise their qualities non-stop. "...The tip of this brush is definitely made from the Snow You’s fur. I received confirmation directly from the artisan who crafted it. The tip remains intact, having been used only three times. The accompanying inkstone is black jade, with some minor white streaks across its surface—but they form rather beautiful patterns."

"Exquisite… It’s far too exquisite, master. I fear that..."

"Calm down, I haven’t even told you the price yet," the old man stroked his beard slightly before revealing a smile. "The white jade set is twenty taels of silver. The thousand-year pine set is also twenty taels of silver…" The maid’s heart pounded wildly. She turned to look at the four brushes laid out before her. Each set differed in size. The texture of the handles varied, and each was suited to a different style of calligraphy.

The large brush from the petrified pine set was bigger than the large brush from the white jade set, whereas the smaller pair that came with it was smaller than the white jade’s small brush.

She was bewildered. It felt as though she would have to return empty-handed and consult her mistress before making a decision. However, before she could speak, Old Yang made an offer.

"These six treasures are invaluable, suitable for various types of writing—whether painting, poetry, or bookmaking. The larger brushes can write poetry or blessings on large sheets of paper without issue, while the smaller ones are ideal for detailed work. If you take both sets, I’ll throw in this ink box for free. Inside, you’ll find twenty premium ink sticks, more than enough to create countless works of art. What do you think?"

The maid’s heartbeat quickened even further. Her gaze focused intently on assessing the quality of the tools before her, comparing them once again to the supplies from the scholar’s alley. The quality… was undoubtedly superior. She was more certain of this than anything else.

The value… was significantly higher. Even without much knowledge, she could estimate the worth of white jade as fine as mutton fat.

The price… there was no need to even discuss it. Mid-tier writing sets alone had a starting price of fifty taels of silver. Forty taels of silver, that was the total price for all these priceless treasures laid before her. Just forty taels of silver! With the remaining money, she could buy up to five rolls of low-grade paper. Or if she opted for a slightly better quality, she could still afford three rolls… "Take them. If your mistress succeeds as she hopes, just tell her to visit me sometime. But if she doesn’t, it doesn’t matter either way..."

"If I buy them and they turn out to have issues..."

"Bring them back. I’ll give you a one-year guarantee."

"I’ll take them! Thank you so much, Old Yang." She bowed repeatedly. She barely registered what Old Yang had said earlier—only that if her mistress succeeded, she should drop by and pay him a visit. Eh? Madam? "You… You know who my mistress is…?" As the old man wrapped the goods in a fine yet unembellished silk cloth, the maid seemed to snap back to her senses.

"Knowing is one thing, but it doesn’t matter. I’m not the talkative type. Just don’t forget our agreement."

"Here is forty taels of silver, master..." Ning-ning displayed even greater humility. After seeing the old man accept the money without counting it, she took the neatly wrapped bundle into her hands and prepared to leave. But before she could go, Old Yang offered one final piece of advice…

"Paper is one of the scholar’s treasures that many tend to overlook. Forget about the low-grade rolls that cost two taels each. What your mistress should be using is either three rolls for ten taels or rolls priced at five taels and above. Do you understand?"

"I will remember it well, master. Thank you, Old Yang." Ning-ning bowed deeply, her upper body nearly parallel to the ground. The old man seemed quite pleased by this display of gratitude. Her errands were almost complete. All that remained was to purchase two high-quality paper rolls before heading back...

Would her mistress scold her for spending so much?

But for some reason, Ning-ning was absolutely certain that what she had obtained today would make her mistress truly happy.

.....

It was unfortunate that Yanyu Bookstore was only a book-selling and rental shop. The owner did not have paper or any writing supplies for sale. Therefore, Ning-ning had to stop by to purchase paper before entering Yanyu to ask how much writing her mistress should submit for the test.

After pulling out the two rolls of paper she had bought, the shopkeeper of Yanyu was momentarily taken aback. "Your mistress uses such expensive materials? White bamboo paper?"

"At five taels of silver per roll, it was still within the budget, master…" Ning-ning answered politely. The fine-textured paper measured one chi wide (1 chi = 10 cun / 1 cun = 1 inch) and three zhang long (1 zhang = 3.3 meters). It was indeed expensive, but she was happy to follow Old Yang’s advice. Her mistress had yet to regain most of her past-life memories. Having quality tools would undoubtedly be of great help. These two rolls of paper could be cut into sheets and bound into two small books, which would be sufficient for her mistress’s goal. "What a waste… Just for a handwriting test, white bamboo paper is unnecessary. Aiya… How could I forget?" The middle-aged shopkeeper suddenly realized something and rushed to the back of the shop, leaving the customer standing in confusion for a while.

"Here, take these… I had some pre-cut sheets set aside for copying commissions. Take two sheets. Once your mistress finishes writing, bring them back for evaluation. I’ll require a deposit of ten copper coins. Do we have a deal?"

"Gladly, master." She handed over the money and received the neatly cut sheets, rolling them up along with her other paper. "This is the standard bookbinding size, correct?"

"That’s right. You can keep one as a template for future trimming. But I’ll only refund half of the deposit."

"Thank you very much, master. I hope we’ll have more business together in the future." After browsing through a few more sample texts, she bid farewell. The return trip did not take long. The rickshaw driver received an extra tip as usual. Then, Ning-ning circled around the manor, slipping through the bamboo grove while carrying two full bundles of cloth. Fortunately, they were not too heavy.

The maid arrived back at her mistress’s residence precisely during the Shen hour (15:00 – 16:59). Today’s mission was a success. After carefully explaining all the purchases to her mistress, Ning-ning knelt down, awaiting reprimand for making decisions on her own. "Old Yang… is that so?" Lijin picked up the petrified pine brush, examining its soft, high-quality bristles with interest. "Twenty taels of silver per set… You did well. Oh… and why are you kneeling down?"

"I… I acted on my own, madam. Please forgive me."

"You merely followed the teachings I imparted to you." Lijin smiled and shook her head slightly. "I cannot go out myself. Having you as my hands, feet, and eyes for external affairs is already a blessing. Besides, you have proven that you can accurately assess market goods. And today, you were incredibly lucky to acquire such high-quality items at such a low price."

"I… I will do my very best, madam!" Ning-ning was deeply moved. The lessons her mistress had been teaching her these past days truly made her feel valued.

"Oh… This paper is excellent. Old Yang recommended it to you, didn’t he? It seems that when we finally gain our freedom, we’ll have to pay him a visit to express our gratitude properly." Lijin was overjoyed that the tools for their livelihood were finally in her possession. The standard-sized sheets from Yanyu Bookstore were indeed a perfect fit, though in her opinion, they were a bit small.

Each page required only forty characters, meaning she could write five vertical rows with eight characters per row, which was quite large.

Could the shopkeeper be commissioning books for children? Lijin pondered this for a while, recalling how tightly packed characters were in ancient Chinese texts from her past world.

As soon as she placed the paper on the table and asked Ning-ning to fetch clean water for grinding ink, the golden frame—visible only to her—appeared, seamlessly blending with the pristine sheets before her.

Lijin used her mind to adjust the character size and alignment according to the shopkeeper’s requirements, but she found that it allowed too little text per page. Thus, she adjusted the number of characters per page to one hundred and fifty. Her plan was now in place. The ink was ground to the perfect consistency, and the golden frame no longer sent any odd sensations her way. She picked up the small pine wood brush—because she intended to write delicate, intricate characters.

Ning-ning leaned forward with great interest. She had never before seen such an aura of scholarly refinement radiating from her mistress. Her posture was straight, her demeanor exuded remarkable grace. "Do you want to see me write? Hehehe." The mistress teased slightly before dipping the brush’s tip onto the paper, guided by the golden light...

To the Esteemed Owner of Yanyu Bookstore,

I submit this letter as an introduction to my handwriting, so you may determine whether it is suitable for your work. I am unable to reveal my true name, but please know that I use the brush name Yanyi (言怡). From this point forward, let this name serve as my signature.

This is my official handwriting, which requires considerable time to copy. However, the text on the second sheet of paper will provide different writing styles for you to choose from. While they may not be exceptionally elegant, each possesses its own unique charm.

I hope we may work together.

Yanyi

Lijin placed the final stroke on the first sheet of paper, then lifted her gaze to admire the finished work. Even she was captivated by the beauty of Chinese calligraphy without realizing it. Unfortunately, her nervousness during this first writing session caused her hand to tense up, leaving her slightly sore.

The second sheet contained two lines of poetry, repeated five times. Each repetition was written at the same speed, significantly faster than the letter. Though less ornate, it remained legible, fluid, and elegant in its own way.

Lijin was quite satisfied with the five calligraphy styles she had chosen. They were neither overly elaborate nor mechanically perfect like printed type, yet they exuded a softness that was easy on the eyes.

After completing the two pages, she realized she had completely overlooked one crucial detail. She was about to ask Ning-ning about it. However, her trusted maid was now standing stiff as a stone, her eyes locked onto the first page Lijin had written, lost in awe.

Lijin was unsure what to do next. Since the other party was too dazed to converse, she instead proceeded to rinse the brush clean, found a place to let it dry, and carefully arranged the ink stick and inkstone in their proper places.

By the time Ning-ning came back to her senses, the table in front of the bed had already been tidied up, leaving only the two sheets of paper… She felt utterly inadequate as a personal maid.