"Shopkeeper, I'd like to buy some brush, ink, paper, and an inkstone, as well as a beginner's textbook. Do you have any recommendations?" Ran asked politely. Hearing that she wanted to buy a beginner's textbook, the shopkeeper assumed it was for a child at home and casually pointed to a corner. "The beginner stuff is all in that corner, just take a look yourself and see what you need."
"Alright, thank you!" Ran looked in the direction he pointed and saw a pile of items in the corner. When she looked at that pile, her brows twitched hard. If the shopkeeper hadn't said so himself, she really would've thought it was just a heap of trash.
Seeing Ran still standing there, the shopkeeper lifted his eyelids and glanced at her, catching the look on her face. He didn't explain anything and just said flatly, "For a child just starting out, those things are enough." "Okay, I'll go have a look then, thanks."
Ran cupped her hands to the shopkeeper, mimicking the etiquette she had secretly observed while in Suzhou. But the shopkeeper didn't respond and only gave a faint "mm." Ran walked quickly to the corner and saw that it was full of defective or slightly damaged items.
She immediately understood. The nearby villages weren't wealthy, and her clothing looked just like a regular rural man's, so it was obvious she wasn't rich. This pile of supplies was more than enough for a farm child learning to write.
Actually, these things weren't bad. They only looked like trash because they were all stacked together in a messy pile. Ran crouched down and carefully picked through the pile.
She found two half-decent brushes, a damaged inkstone, a chipped ink stick, and a bundle of yellowed paper. She held them carefully and walked to the counter. She gently set everything down and smiled.
"Shopkeeper, how much for all this?" The shopkeeper looked up and said, "All that will be two silver taels." "Two taels?"
Ran's eyes widened in shock. She knew education was expensive in ancient times, but she didn't expect it to be this bad. These few damaged old things still cost two silver taels.
If good quality supplies were needed, wouldn't a full set cost dozens or even over a hundred taels? From what she had gathered, a farming family could only save three to five taels in an entire year. For one person to study, just tuition alone was ten taels per year, not even counting the supplies.
No wonder so many people couldn't afford to study. "Too expensive?" The shopkeeper, who had been quietly reading, looked at her surprised face.
For some reason, he found it kind of cute and felt unusually amused. "A bit, yes!" Ran looked at the items on the counter with some heartache. Still, she knew she had no choice but to buy them.
"At least you're honest." The shopkeeper hadn't expected her to admit it so bluntly. It made him think more favorably of her. She was much better than those fake polite scholars who pretended to be generous while silently hurting inside.
"Do you have any recommendations for a beginner's book?" Ran asked. She had checked the pile earlier but didn't find anything suitable. She had no choice but to come back and ask.
"Didn't find anything suitable over there?" the shopkeeper asked curiously. That shouldn't be the case. The books over there were specifically selected for beginners.
"Hehe..." Ran scratched her head awkwardly and gave a silly laugh. She didn't want to say that those books were too difficult for her. She really couldn't understand them.
Seeing the shopkeeper still looking at her, Ran had to speak softly, "Those books are too advanced for beginners. I just want to buy a copy of the Three Character Classic."
"The Three Character Classic?" The shopkeeper looked a bit confused. He saw that Ran didn't look like she was lying, so he asked curiously, "What kind of book is that?" "There's no Three Character Classic here?" Ran was surprised that it wasn't available.
"No." The shopkeeper shook his head firmly under her expectant gaze. "I've been running this bookstore for many years and met many scholars, but I've never even heard of such a book." "If you don't have the Three Character Classic, then you must have the Thousand Character Essay, right?" Ran quickly asked.
The shopkeeper still slowly shook his head. "No. Never heard of it." Ran didn't expect this at all.
These two books were the easiest to learn. Even kids in kindergarten could recite them before. "I wonder, what kind of books are the Three Character Classic and Thousand Character Essay that this young master speaks of? Could you write them down so I can read them?"
The shopkeeper, Hua, once had a brilliant reputation. He had ranked second in the imperial exams at a young age and was once appointed as the crown prince's tutor by the former emperor. But now that he was old, and despite repeated pleas from the current emperor, he had firmly retired and returned to his hometown.
Since his wife had passed away long ago and his children and grandchildren had their own families, he declined their invitations and moved to the scenic city of Suzhou. He opened this bookstore in a small town outside the city, bringing a few loyal old servants with him. "No need to write it down! My handwriting is messy. I don't want to hurt your eyes," Ran waved her hands and refused.
"If you're interested, I can just recite it for you." "Good! Then I'll trouble you, young master," Hua sat on a chair, looking at her with anticipation. "I'll recite the Three Character Classic first!" For some reason, Ran suddenly felt nervous, like she was back in school and had just been called on by the teacher.
"People at birth, are naturally kind. Their natures are similar, but habits make them different. If not taught, their nature will change…"
"Heaven and earth are dark and yellow, the universe vast and boundless. The sun and moon take turns to shine, stars are spread across the sky. Cold turns to heat, autumn harvests and winter stores…" After reciting the entire Three Character Classic, Ran then recited the entire Thousand Character Essay.
Only after finishing both did she stop. "Wonderful! Truly wonderful!" When Ran began reciting the Three Character Classic, Hua immediately sat upright in shock.
As she continued, his expression grew more and more excited, and his breathing became rapid. Ran was worried he might collapse from excitement, but he eventually calmed himself down. He slowly closed his eyes, trying to fully take in the meaning within the two books.
Once Ran stopped speaking, Hua opened his eyes and couldn't help but cheer loudly. "Young master, what is your name?" Hua looked at her kindly and asked. "Shopkeeper, my name is Ran!" Ran immediately answered.
"Ran boy, did you write the Three Character Classic and the Thousand Character Essay yourself?" Hua stared at her intently as he asked.
"No!" Ran shook her head and said, "Thousand Character Classic and Three Character Classic were both taught to me by the elders in my family. The original authors have already passed away."
"Ah, what a pity." Hearing that the authors were gone, Elder Hua felt regret in his heart. He looked at Ran with satisfaction and nodded.
Not bad. She didn't try to claim something that wasn't hers just because no one knew its origin. That was very respectable.
"Since these two books came from your mouth, I want to buy them and print them into collections. Would you be willing?" Elder Hua looked at her kindly, completely different from his earlier attitude.
"Of course I'm willing." This was a great chance to promote Huaxia culture. She would never turn down something like that.
"Good. I'll pay five hundred taels for each book, so a total of one thousand taels. What do you think?"
The price Elder Hua gave was very fair. Ran had no reason to refuse. She answered without hesitation.
"Of course I'm willing." Actually, she never imagined these two books could sell for so much silver. When she first heard Elder Hua wanted to buy them, she thought maybe a hundred or eighty taels would already be good.
She didn't expect they could be worth this much. "Alright then, we'll sign the contract. From now on, these two books will no longer be related to you."
Elder Hua feared she might regret it, so he immediately brought out two sheets of fine xuan paper. He prepared two copies of the contract, and both of them signed and sealed it. Ran couldn't write the characters here, so she only left her fingerprint.
As for why she dared to sign something when she couldn't read, it was just a feeling. She didn't sense any malice from Elder Hua. Besides, even if it was a trick, it was only two books.
To her, that wasn't much of a loss. The contract was made in two copies. Elder Hua carefully put away his own and went into the back courtyard.
Soon after, he came out with a small bundle and handed it to her. "Inside are five silver ingots of ten taels each, and fifty taels in loose silver. The rest is in silver notes, have a look."
"If it doesn't work for you, I'll change it now. Also, there's a fine set of scholar's tools inside, and a beginner's book set. Take them."
"Alright." Ran immediately took the bundle and held it close. She smiled at Elder Hua and said, "Thank you, Shopkeeper."
"No need to be so polite. My surname is Hua. From now on, just call me Grandpa Hua." Elder Hua smiled while stroking his beard.
"Grandpa Hua." Ran called out sweetly. "Aye." Elder Hua responded with a big smile.
"Come find Grandpa Hua when you have free time." "Alright. I'll definitely come and bother Grandpa Hua often."
"As long as Grandpa Hua doesn't think I'm annoying." After chatting a while longer, Ran finally left the bookstore with the bundle in her arms.
"Master, do you want us to investigate?" Just after Ran left, a figure suddenly appeared in front of Elder Hua. Dressed in black and respectful, he asked the question quietly.
"No need." Elder Hua slowly sat back down in his chair and gently closed his eyes. He said softly, "Her eyes are cautious, but there's no trace of malice."
"In fact, there's a bit of purity in them. A person like that can't be bad. But I really can't figure her out."
"She has such a noble aura. She doesn't seem like someone who hasn't studied. Yet she can't even read. It's very strange."
"Could she be doing it on purpose?" the man in black asked. "No," Elder Hua shook his head firmly. "Let things follow their natural course."