Jiang Pengji wasn't a good student who loved to study, but she respected and feared the professionals who worked in the field of education.
Since ancient times, human history had experienced ups and downs, but no matter how tragic the war was, they were always able to rebuild civilization from the ruins at the fastest speed possible. The reason for this was that apart from the strong resilience of humans to survive, another reason was the protection of civilization.
As long as the seed of civilization was still there, it would eventually bloom on the ruins.
Jiang Pengji naturally respected and yearned for Cheng Cheng's ambition.
Civilization was never exclusive to one family or one clan. It was the unique wealth of the human race.
Cheng Cheng didn't think too deeply or too far, but he didn't stick to one pattern. His eyes didn't only see the present, but he also thought about the inheritance of civilization. That alone made him much better than most of the aristocratic families who cherished their treasures.
Jiang Pengji thought about it and asked with a smile, "Uncle Cheng, would you be willing to lend me a few books to copy?"
The aristocratic families treated books as their lifeblood. Unless they had a good relationship, they wouldn't lend them easily, let alone let others copy them.
Cheng Cheng was very generous, but he was also a little childish, so he replied with a smile.
"Of course you can, but you have to give me something in exchange." Cheng Cheng stroked his neatly trimmed beard and said, "Bamboo slips are easy to get wet, bulky, and not easy to preserve. Every time I find some slips eaten by insects, it hurts my heart so much. I heard that paper in Hejian County is hard to buy. If it's written on bamboo paper, it's light and easy to preserve … I heard that the workshop is your mother's dowry? "
Cheng Cheng's wife, who was sitting in the carriage, was so angry that she almost broke her teeth when she heard her husband's nonsense.
"Lanting, don't listen to his nonsense. Those treasures of his are not worth much money." Cheng Cheng's wife revealed her husband's secret and said in an angry tone, "If you like any of them, just tell me. You don't have to listen to me."
Cheng Cheng's face turned red and he secretly wanted to beg his wife for mercy. At least she would give him some face in front of the younger generation.
Jiang Pengji couldn't help but laugh when she saw their interaction.
"The workshop is indeed my mother's dowry. It produces a limited amount of paper every year, and most of them are ordered to other families. If Uncle Cheng likes it, this nephew will ask the housekeeper to save a few knives for you and send them to your mansion … "
Hearing her words, Cheng Cheng's expression couldn't help but turn solemn as he hurriedly explained.
"Lanting, this is a misunderstanding. No matter how frivolous I am, I still have to maintain my dignity. How could I take advantage of a junior? Uncle's original intention was that if you took these books back and copied them, you could also make a copy for Uncle. The cost of paper and ink would be calculated according to the market price. There are more and more books, and Uncle is getting older and older. I don't know how long he can take care of them. "
Not to mention that bamboo slips were heavy, they were also very difficult to preserve. They had very high requirements for the environment in which they were stored. Otherwise, they would go moldy or be eaten by insects.
Among these tens of thousands of bamboo slips, almost every one of them had been rebound. The reason was that they were damp and moldy, and the writing was illegible.
When copying, it was inevitable to make mistakes or missing words. In order to ensure that the content of the book was good, he had to go back and forth several times, and then let his sons help him proofread it. After confirming that there were no mistakes, he would recompile it. The project was very time-consuming.
Ever since the introduction of bamboo paper, he had thought of replacing the bamboo slips with paper.
However, the scale of the papermaking workshop was slow to expand. The paper produced every year was almost monopolized by a few gentry families, so he couldn't order any.
That was a pain in the ass.
Jiang Pengji rolled her eyes and replied with a smile, "I can't show you my handwriting. I can look at it myself, but if I show it to Uncle, won't I be displaying my slight skill in front of an expert? How about this? I will provide the ink, paper, and inkstone, and Uncle will make an extra copy for me. The ink, paper, and inkstone will be provided free of charge. Just treat it as a gift for Uncle … "
Cheng Cheng was speechless. He almost couldn't wrap his head around what she was saying.
Before Jiang Pengji could finish her words, a sachet flew toward her head. She raised her hand and grabbed it to avoid being hit.
"How dare you. Uncle Cheng is such a person. How can he make such a joke?"
Liu She's face was cold. He was the one who threw the sachet.
Cheng Cheng quickly stopped and teased Liu She. "Zhongqing, why are you angry? Are you angry that your son made a bad deal? "
Even though Cheng Cheng didn't care much about business, he knew how expensive the bamboo paper in Hejian County was.
In order to finish copying those tens of thousands of bamboo slips, the amount of bamboo paper needed was not a small amount.
Of course, many of the bamboo slips were unique copies, so their value was not low.
Liu She said, "Wenfu, you misunderstood me. Bamboo paper is expensive outside, but it doesn't cost a lot to use it. This kid is stupid today. He wants to exchange some paper for Wenfu's book collection. I've never seen or heard of such a black-hearted businessman. "
Cheng Cheng laughed and said to Jiang Pengji, "Like father, like son. You have the style of your father."
Liu She was speechless.
He believed that Cheng Cheng was good at scolding people. He had just called Jiang Pengji a black-hearted profiteer, and Cheng Cheng had turned around and mocked him.
Wait … Who is the father and daughter here?
Seeing that Cheng Cheng and his daughter were on the same side, Liu She suddenly felt that he was in a bad situation.
He was so tired.
Cheng Cheng agreed readily to Jiang Pengji's half-joking words.
"Okay, nephew. As long as you give me enough bamboo paper, I'll send you a copy when I'm done. It's worth it. "
Jiang Pengji blushed and felt a little embarrassed.
Bamboo paper was extremely expensive to outsiders, but her family knew that it was worthless.
Using such a small amount of paper to exchange for tens of thousands of precious books, this business could not be more profitable. Even Jiang Pengji felt that she was somewhat shameless … But Cheng Cheng accepted it so generously, without the slightest hint of displeasure, which made her feel a lot of emotions.
In fact, Cheng Cheng also felt a little embarrassed. He felt that he had taken advantage of the younger generation.
He was not a selfish person. He treasured the books very much, but if someone wanted to borrow them and copy them, he would gladly agree.
With just one more copy, they would be able to exchange for countless precious bamboo papers. In the future, they wouldn't have to worry about the preservation of their books. Thus, they would be able to solve their worries. It seemed that both sides had suffered a loss, but in fact, from another perspective, they had both benefited.
In other words, the value of some things couldn't be measured by gold or silver.
"Thank you, uncle. I'll cherish it."
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