Kunming.
Anning Square.
The rain was cold.
The owner of Anning Square looked at the page on his knee.
Then, he looked up through the curtain at the few customers who were lowering their heads to pick books. He looked at the shopkeeper who was dozing off with an abacus. He exhaled a long puff of smoke and knocked the pipe on the corner of the table.
When the customer came over to ask about the price of the book,
The shopkeeper who was dozing off woke up and casually made a number.
"So expensive?"
He was impatient. "Do you think it's expensive?
Don't buy it. "
It was probably the first time in his life that the customer who came to buy a book felt his heart ache for a long time.
In his wrinkled pocket,
He fumbled for the money. He rubbed his hands that were still stained with mud and carefully took the oiled paper that was wrapped in a thin book. He stuffed it into his arms.
Bumpkins. The shopkeeper weighed the few copper coins and scoffed.
He picked up the abacus and lazily pushed it. He did not have the eagerness to do business. "I won't send you off."
The other customers.
Except for one who bought "Fierce Maiden Temple".
The others did not buy it.
Soon,
The inside of the workshop was cold and cheerless. The shopkeeper began to doze off again.
In the inner hall, the owner of Anning Square puffed out smoke more frequently.
In the past, the four books and five classics, the examination questions over the years, and the practical ones.
There was no need to worry about selling them. The main customers of the bookstore were those scholars who studied hard, wanted to get famous, and had a few acres of land at home.
However, the current situation in Yunnan.
Earlier.
First, they searched for books.
Then, the longevity thief deleted the four books and five classics. Everyone was in a state of panic.
Some time ago, even the officers, generals, and strategists of the Yunnan Revolutionary Army were pushed out to be beheaded.
There were many opinions. Although the Revolutionary Army said that these people were "Vermin". However, it was said that they were killed because they read the books of Confucius and Mencius in private.
It was fine if that was all.
That person surnamed Lou originally thought that he was a good person. He killed a few hooligans who dominated the market so that the people in the market could do business in peace. However, with a flip of his hand, he shed all pretense of cordiality and set some price limit.
Books, within the price limit, were not allowed to be sold at a high price.
As a result, the customers of the bookstore gradually changed.
So much so that in the past few days, the people who came and went to his shop were all poor people who didn't dare to walk in front of his shop.
These idiots didn't even know how to read a single word, yet they were still spouting nonsense about 'buying them to teach the children how to read'. If they don't know how to read, they can ask Teacher Mengxue of the Revolutionary Army to read to them.
It was nothing more than taking advantage of the limited price. Buying a book with a few copper coins was too expensive …
What a disgrace.
Forget it, I'll just bear with it.
The owner of An Ning Square frowned and knocked his pipe heavily, as if it was Shou Yulou's head.
The rain was getting heavier, and the wind was getting stronger.
The pages of the book fluttered in the wind. Other than the sound of the wind rustling the pages of the book, there were no other guests, and the surroundings were quiet.
In the inner hall, the master of the Tranquility Hall was still thinking silently.
In the outer hall, the shopkeeper's nap gradually deepened.
The waiter lowered the curtain at the door.
At this moment. "Shop owner, do you have any new books?" A beautiful young woman who was no more than sixteen years old stopped at the entrance of the Tranquility Square. Her black hair was wet from the rain and was covered in mist. She looked a little uneasy.
It turned out that these women were not allowed to enter the bookstore.
Now, under the rule of the Revolutionary Army, women could ride horses and go shopping openly. The shopkeeper yawned and said,
"The best-selling book, here, 'Li Xianglan's Handwriting'. Do you want it?"
The young woman stood for a moment and flipped through a few books. "I don't want Xiaoxiang's."
The shopkeeper was surprised. It was probably because these days, women and young people who came into the shop either wanted to buy Xiaoxiang's books or asked her what new books she had. Seeing that although this woman's clothes were ordinary, her behavior was like that of a rich family's daughter, the shopkeeper perked up and became a little more attentive. "Then, please come over here, there are a few books here …"
At this moment, the curtain was lifted again, and a few literati came to make a fuss. They kept shouting that they wanted to seek an explanation from the owner of An Ning Square.
Seeing that they were disturbing the business, the shopkeeper didn't hold back and asked the strong waiter to stop them. "What are you doing here again? We didn't skimp on the fees we paid previously. It's enough for you gentlemen. "
The leader of the literati was flustered and exasperated. He shouted, "Ask your boss to come out and see us! Why don't you accept our manuscripts? "
Ha! You're calling him? The shopkeeper's sleepiness disappeared. Seeing that his boss didn't respond, he put down the abacus heavily. The wooden table shook from the force.
"Who accepts them? Which family would accept you scholars? Which family would accept such a thing? Go look for that family. If you continue to make a fuss, don't blame me for reporting to the Revolutionary Army. "
In the past, there were people who were tired of those books and novels about scholars and beautiful women. It was just that they didn't have other strange books and were bored to death. Ever since Xiaoxiang's appearance, people didn't even take a look at the works of these low-class literati.
In the past, these literati still cared about the reputation of the scholars and didn't dare to make a fuss. Ever since they took over the land, the scholars didn't have the privilege of being exempted from paying taxes. The status of these scholars plummeted. These literati who relied on literature to make a living didn't even care about their reputation and dared to make a fuss in broad daylight.
The leader was unconvinced and argued, "What do you mean by 'one for a thousand people'? We also write about heroines, foxes, and the like … "
"Bah!" The shopkeeper sneered. "Vulgar people, your strength is overflowing. Your writing style is already out of date. What is popular now is the 'Xiao Xiang Junzi' in plain language. You don't need to add some crooked poetry or alluring words. You only need to be able to use plain language to describe 'Zhu Er Mei', 'Chang Chunshu', so that the men and women of the world will be heartbroken for these people.
"Who says we can't write?" As if waiting for him to say that, they excitedly took out a stack of manuscripts and proudly said, "This is our new manuscript imitating Xiaoxiang's gentleman. Isn't it more meaningful than a woman like her? "
The owner of An Ning Square couldn't help but look askance. Inside the room, he called the shopkeeper. "Uncle Lu, bring their manuscripts in."
The first one was called 'The Secret Records of the Chang Clan'. After flipping through a few pages, it was written in plain language without any classical words.
The contents talked about a young master in a southern clan named Chang Chunshu. He grew up from a young age until he was 20 years old. He didn't know much about human affairs and had a strange temperament. Therefore, the elders of the clan tried their best to arrange female servants to accompany him in bed. They wanted him to know more about human affairs so that he could restrain himself, get married, and have children.
In the end, Young Master Chang finally repented and worked hard to become the top scholar. His various wives and concubines also gave birth to many children for him. The family was happy.
The rest of the text was mediocre, but the description of the various female servants that the family had recruited in order to hook this Chang Chunshu, each with their own unique beauty, was extremely exquisite.
The description of how the maidservants and Young Master Chang made love and entangled endlessly was even more ingenious, and the words were clear and elegant.
Not long after, the female guests could hear the anger of the young owner of An Ning Market through the gauze curtain. The manuscripts were thrown out by him and scattered like snowflakes. "Imitating others makes a fool of themselves! Others wrote 'There is no place to find happiness in the world, where can one find freedom in the human world'. What you wrote was' There is no place to find a beautiful lady! '"
The scholars came together to force the rich and overbearing An Ning Hall to accept the manuscript. However, they heard the young man's voice. "Ah Da, Ah Er, chase these mediocre scholars out."
They didn't know where the answer came from. Immediately, two bronze bearded, tiger-eyed, muscular warriors came out from the inner hall. They were at least two heads taller than the average person. Then, the strong and strong shop assistant at the door responded. It didn't look like a bookstore anymore. In an instant, it became a martial arts arena.
The scholars who were causing trouble were scared out of their wits. They didn't even bother to pick up the manuscripts and hurriedly escaped out of the door.
The shopkeeper picked up the manuscripts on the floor and read them. He shook his head. "It's not bad. It's rare that her words are clear and beautiful. Ever since Xiaoxiang's reputation as a gentleman rose, these imitations of her works have spread all over the market. She has quite a few admirers. "
She continued, "That Xiao Xiang Junzi, who's being praised as a literary tycoon, her books are selling well. However, there are no new books recently. The old ones have been selling for a long time, so it's not good. Owner, we still have to accept a batch of manuscripts. "
The young owner's anger hadn't subsided yet. His light voice was a little strict. "Uncle Lu, how can they compare to us? Even if we … accept such manuscripts, it's ruining the reputation of An Ning Market. How can such things compare to Xiaoxiang's Gentleman's Eternal Love Poem? Are they worthy of being placed together with her books on our bookshelves? It's the same scene under the moonlight in front of the flowers, but they have a different style! Could it be that I'm living here to earn some small profits from these obscene songs? "
"Owner!" The shopkeeper immediately called out.
The owner of An Ning Market knew that he had said something wrong. Only then did he remember that there was a female guest in the shop. He silently exchanged glances with the shopkeeper. Immediately, the warriors in the hall were filled with murderous intent.
The beautiful female guest, however, didn't seem to see this scene. She didn't pay attention. When she heard the young owner talk about the moonlight in front of the flowers, she lowered her head. She remembered that she had secretly pondered over Xiaoxiang Lin's works.
In 'Li Xianglan's Work Diary', it was written like this:
"The moon has risen.
The cat and the dog are asleep.
The stone archway was also dozing off.
And the delicate flowers are awake.
They, the gentle women, put on the clothes to send off the deceased, and quietly got up.
'For whom do you put on the mourning clothes? For your father, daughter? 'The flowers sang.
The daughter shook her head.
'For whom do you put on the mourning clothes? For your husband, madam? 'The flowers asked.
The wife shook her head.
'For whom do you put on the mourning clothes? For your child, mother? 'The flowers said.
The mother also shook her head.
They said, 'This is our own funeral, only this night, we are ourselves.'
This funeral, only the moonlight knows, only the night knows, only the flowers know, only they know.
The beautiful and pale women took turns kissing the flowers, saying to them, 'Please keep this a secret. We are forever grateful to you. '"
This paragraph was about a famous female poet who had been stubborn and independent all her life. After she died of poverty, no one buried her. The talented women of Jiangnan raised money to bury her, and then made an appointment to attend her funeral at night.
This part of the story was very romantic and affectionate, and had always been praised.
The moonlight shone on the graceful shadows. They put on the mourning clothes that had nothing to do with blood relatives. With miraculous courage, they made an appointment to attend a funeral. As if they were going to their own funeral.
During the day, they might be someone's daughter, or someone's wife, or someone's mother. At this moment, they were no longer anyone, but only themselves.
When she read this paragraph, even though she hated Xiaoxiang Lin, she was still fascinated by this dreamy and extraordinary scene. She was hit by the mournful state of mind and trembled all over. She could not help but secretly admire the talent of her enemy.
The same scene under the moonlight, written by Xiaoxiang Lin, was indeed a meeting of scholars and beauties in a garden written by someone else. The style was very different.
"Customer, what book do you want to buy?" The shopkeeper called her again. The owner of An Ning Square also seemed to be looking at her through the curtain. She could not help but wake up. Inside the bookstore, everything was calm and peaceful.
"Me? I … "She hesitated for a moment, gritted her teeth, and finally said," I'm not here to buy books. "
"I've read this, I hope … you can take a look at my manuscript."
She respectfully handed over the manuscript.
After the young owner behind the curtain skimmed through the first few pages of the manuscript, he suddenly smiled, lifted the curtain, and walked out.
It turned out to be a young master in a brocade robe. He had long eyebrows and elegant eyes. He had a unique charm that was unique to men. He held a pipe in one hand and gently shook off the ash. In her eyes, he didn't look like the owner of a small bookstore. Instead, he looked like the son of some aristocratic family that she knew in the past. "You're really bold. You dare to give me such a manuscript. Aren't you afraid that I'll send you to the Revolutionary Army? "
She blushed and lowered her head. "I've read other books in the store. I know a little about your taste. "
As she spoke, she suddenly raised her head. "Besides, the Revolutionary Army is about to leave. Isn't that right?
The owner of An Ning Square paused. He tapped the end of the pipe against his palm and slowly said, "That's right. They're about to leave. What's your name? "
"My name is Yan Furong."
It was night and it was raining heavily. Every household in Kunming was ablaze with lights.
On both sides of the street, one umbrella after another was placed under the umbrella, forming a dense mass of dark heads.
In the middle of the street, one horse after another was led by people in linen clothes. They stepped on puddles, carried bags, and swung the water from their tails as they walked quietly.
Everything was very quiet. In the pitch-black world, only the pitter-patter of rain could be heard.
Perhaps there was also a faint sobbing sound, but it was difficult to distinguish between the sound of the rain.
"Will you come back?" A white-haired old man stopped the leader, a tall man leading the horse. His cloudy eyes could not distinguish between tears and rain.
"Will you come back?" A young man wearing Blue Silk pulled at his friends in linen clothes and asked.
"Will you come back?" The family of the previous landlord hid in the corner and thought coldly in their hearts.
"Yes," they said.
The main force of the Revolutionary Army had taken down Nanjing and was stationed in Nanjing. They treated Nanjing as the new capital and surrounded the army of the imperial court, forming a stalemate. He then sent six letters in a row, urging the main force of the Revolutionary Army in the south to quickly return to Nanjing.
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