Free Web NovelChapter 344: Chapter 137: Book Collection Building (Part 3)
"Jing, I’m a little cold. Let me go."
"You have to promise me you’ll come home with me, Elder Sister. Only then will I let you go."
Chen Wanqing pressed her lips together, struggling to hold down the hand that was climbing toward her chest and keep it from wandering.
"Jing, you’re taking advantage of my situation."
"Yes, I am. I was never a gentleman to begin with. I can be even worse."
Chen Wanqing knew Zhao Jing was difficult, but she hadn’t expected him to be *this* difficult. She was no match for him at all. In the end, she could only raise her hands in surrender under his relentless pressure.
When the two of them left, De’an was also getting ready to go out.
"It’s boring sitting at home. I’m going to hang out at Wang Jun’s teahouse."
"Why don’t you come with us to Moxiang Pavilion?"
De’an thought for a moment. "I suppose I could."
Their pair became a trio. Chen Wanqing walked in the middle, with Zhao Jing and De’an on either side of her.
The two men started talking about the "reading order."
"I wonder what kind of collection Moxiang Pavilion has."
"Moxiang Pavilion has its own Book Collection Building. We should be able to get in with the reading order."
"Can we take the books out? If so, we should borrow a whole chest of them to take home."
"I doubt it."
They arrived at Moxiang Pavilion as they spoke.
Mr. Xie must have guessed Chen Wanqing would come by in the next day or two, so he had been waiting for her at Moxiang Pavilion.
What he hadn’t expected was that before Chen Wanqing arrived, he would hear the news of Zhao Jing taking the top spot in the county examination and achieving the rank of a Triple-Firsts Scholar. frёeωebɳovel.com
As it happened, Mr. Wang was also there. Mr. Xie was just remarking to him how "the younger generation is truly formidable" when a servant announced, "Mr. Chen, her brother, and the Triple-Firsts Scholar have arrived."
Mr. Xie laughed heartily. ’The Triple-Firsts Scholar indeed!’
A Triple-Firsts Scholar wasn’t unheard of, but it was certainly rare. Xinghuai Prefecture, at least, hadn’t produced one in decades.
Not only had Zhao Jing emerged this time, but he was also an acquaintance. One could only imagine Mr. Xie’s delight. ƒrēewebnoѵёl.cσm
Mr. Xie and Mr. Wang went out to greet them enthusiastically.
They showered them with congratulations and praised the "formidable younger generation." Their smiles were practically free, blooming layer by layer from the depths of their eyes.
But De’an sighed from the side, "With Jing around, who even notices me?"
Mr. Xie and Mr. Wang overheard him and made sure to pull De’an aside for another round of congratulations. To top it off, they insisted on treating them all to dinner that evening to celebrate.
After a basketful of pleasantries, they finally got down to business.
Mr. Wang led Zhao Jing and De’an to the back to talk, while Mr. Xie began negotiating the sale of Moonlight Fragrance with Chen Wanqing.
Mr. Xie’s preference was still to buy the formula outright. However, Chen Wanqing had clearly made up her mind not to sell. Since he wasn’t a ruthless man, he wouldn’t resort to coercion. This was especially true now that Zhao Jing was so successful; Mr. Xie was more eager than ever to stay on good terms with Chen Wanqing.
In the end, they agreed she would not sell the formula. Instead, Mr. Xie would act as the sole distributor for Moonlight Fragrance. For this, he would receive a twenty-percent commission on the sales—the most generous offer Chen Wanqing could make.
They also discussed the subsequent supply arrangements, agreeing that Moxiang Pavilion would be the exclusive seller of Moonlight Fragrance in Xinghuai Prefecture, along with a few other miscellaneous details.
By the time they had settled everything, the sky had grown completely dark.
They drew up a written agreement on the spot. Both parties were satisfied, and everyone was happy.
Since they had reached an agreement and it was already so late, it was a given that they would have dinner together.
Mr. Xie was pleased and invited the group to the restaurant next door for a meal.
During the meal, De’an asked about the reading order. Mr. Xie gave a mysterious smile and began to speak.
"Don’t underestimate my family’s reading order. It’s incredibly useful."
Mr. Xie then spoke of his ancestor’s great foresight.
Whenever there was a prefectural, county, or Provincial Examination, this ancestor would always sponsor numerous scholars.
To repay his kindness, some of those scholars left behind their study notes, others their personal annotations and insights, and some even left manuscripts from their own most successful ancestors.
Through years of accumulation, the Xie Family’s Book Collection Pavilion now held countless items related to the imperial examinations—be it exam papers, books, or commentaries, and so on. He couldn’t guarantee that everything was a treasure, but at the very least, it was the accumulated knowledge of their predecessors. There was no harm in reading it.
He had given the reading orders to Zhao Jing and De’an earlier for two reasons. First, he was optimistic about the Moonlight Fragrance business and wanted to build a good relationship with Chen Wanqing. Given their close relationship with her, it was natural to gift them one. Second, Zhao Jing was a top scorer. Seeing such a young top scorer, Mr. Xie was betting on his boundless future.
To help Zhao Jing’s path in the imperial examinations go more smoothly—and perhaps to have him as a powerful backer in the future—Mr. Xie gave some sincere advice. "You two don’t have to be in a hurry to return to your hometown. You can stay here in the Prefecture and visit my family’s Book Collection Building to study every day."
