Free Web NovelChapter 241: Chapter 241: "The Nearby Bookstore Sells It for Half Price!
Qiu Tao used low prices and an earlier release date than Guanwen Hall as his main selling points. Coupled with the relationships he’d established with the shopkeepers of Shangjing City’s major bookstores after taking over Hongyun Bookstore, he truly managed to get a step ahead of Feng Shuyu and sell a considerable number of official gazettes.
Even if some bookstores had a conscience and refused Hongyun Bookstore, remembering that Feng Shuyu’s Guanwen Hall was the original producer of the official gazette, there were still many profit-driven bookstores that chose Hongyun Bookstore.
The fact that booksellers chose Hongyun Bookstore didn’t mean that all the scholars coming to purchase the official gazette also wanted to.
Feng Shuyu had hired quite a few clerks in the last two days. Because she had announced that customers could bring in past issues of the official gazette bought from Liufang Bookstore to have them bound into a book for free, Liufang Bookstore had been bustling with customers lately.
Bookbinding was too much for one person, so Feng Shuyu had specially gone to other bookstores to "borrow" their experienced old hands. After this busy period was over, she would send them back.
She offered high wages, and since she wasn’t deliberately trying to poach their staff, the bosses of the other small bookstores readily agreed.
Today, as Feng Shuyu was publicly binding books in the bookstore, a few voices in discussion could be heard near the checkout area.
At first, it was just a conversation between two acquaintances, but gradually, the topic spread throughout the entire bookstore.
And the place where Feng Shuyu and several master craftsmen were binding books was right next to the checkout, so it was hard not to overhear.
"Liu Er, you’re actually still here spending five Silver on books? Don’t you know that Shuxiang House in the West Market has started selling the official gazette today? And it’s really cheap—half the price Liufang Bookstore used to charge."
"For real? I’ve seen the official gazettes sold by peddlers before. The quality was nothing like the ones from Liufang Bookstore."
"Why would I lie to you? Look, this is the official gazette I bought at Shuxiang House. The quality... well, it doesn’t feel as good as Liufang Bookstore’s, but it’s not terrible. It would be even better if the Shopkeeper of Shuxiang House also says they can be bound into a book for free later on."
After examining it repeatedly, the man’s friend, Liu Er, shook his head. "It’s cheaper, I’ll give you that, but I’ve gotten used to the official gazettes made by Guanwen Hall. They’re more exquisite. Liufang Bookstore might sell them for a bit more, but neither of us is short on that little bit of Silver. Why bother!"
Although this Liu Er rejected his friend’s well-intentioned advice, many other customers in Liufang Bookstore had also seen the official gazette he’d bought from Shuxiang House.
"I actually think the one from Shuxiang House is pretty good. After all, the price is cheap!"
"If it’s that cheap elsewhere, then I’ll just buy the cheaper one."
"Ahem, everyone, we’re still in Liufang Bookstore. Maybe save this kind of talk for when you’re outside."
Feng Shuyu remained seated, keeping her composure, but one of the clerks at Liufang Bookstore couldn’t hold it in any longer.
However, with the boss in the store, the clerk wouldn’t argue with the customers. Instead, he went over to inform Feng Shuyu.
"Boss, should we throw those people out?" the clerk asked.
’Promoting another bookstore’s goods in our own shop, and a counterfeit of our official gazette at that... this is just too disrespectful.’
Feng Shuyu’s hands didn’t stop moving. The customer standing in front of her was one who had been consistently patronizing their bookstore. When she answered the clerk, Feng Shuyu had no intention of hiding her words from anyone else.
"Liufang Bookstore is not so petty. How the customers choose is their business. We just need to focus on selling our bookstore’s books well," Feng Shuyu said.
The clerk was still indignant. "They’re pirating our official gazette! That Hongyun Bookstore is simply shameless!"
The customer in front of Feng Shuyu also felt that the woman was being too soft in her business dealings. "Boss Feng, I think your clerk has a point. You were the ones who originally made this official gazette, so how can you let others counterfeit it? If this goes on, your bookstore’s official gazette will be more expensive than the others. How will you sell any?"
Only then did Feng Shuyu stop her work, look up, and smile at the customer who had just spoken.
"Mr. Zhu." She knew he was a teacher at a private school; not hugely famous in Shangjing City, but still known. "Mr. Zhu, do you think it’s immoral for Hongyun Bookstore to pirate our official gazette? Does it break any laws?"
"It’s certainly immoral. After all, Boss Feng, you called it piracy. And piracy is just a form of theft, is it not?" Mr. Zhu answered Feng Shuyu’s question quite earnestly. "As for whether it breaks the law... well, that... that I’m not too clear on."
He hadn’t studied the law, so anything he said now would only be speculation.
Feng Shuyu said, "Well, I think that since it’s related to theft, it might very well be against the law. I’m not telling everyone to avoid buying the official gazette from Hongyun Bookstore right now because I’m worried you’ll all think I’m just fearmongering. But since Mr. Zhu has brought up the issue, I feel I must make a ’bold prediction’ here: if you buy the cheap, pirated official gazettes from Hongyun Bookstore and get implicated along with them, you might just get a beating with the rod. Of course, if you don’t believe me, feel free to treat it as a joke and have a good laugh."
When Feng Shuyu finished speaking, the faces of a few people in Liufang Bookstore who had bought the official gazette from Shuxiang House actually changed.
Everyone knew this official gazette was created by Ming’s Restaurant and entrusted to Guanwen Hall for printing, to then be sold in the bookstores of the East and West Markets.
Liufang Bookstore wasn’t the only place selling the official gazette from Ming’s Restaurant, but it was the first to start selling it, which was why so many people came to Liufang Bookstore to buy it.
"If it’s piracy, then Hongyun Bookstore and Shuxiang House, which is selling the official gazette, might really get punished," someone in the crowd spoke up. "I don’t think getting beaten with the rod just to save a little Silver is worth it at all."
"But Boss Feng also said she wasn’t sure. All this talk about getting beaten with the rod sounds a bit like fearmongering, doesn’t it?" someone else countered.
"Quiet down, quiet down." At this moment, a clerk who had received instructions from his boss stepped forward. "Everyone, please quiet down. If you want to buy the official gazette elsewhere, our bookstore won’t interfere. Please feel free to choose as you wish. Our boss was merely offering a kind reminder. She didn’t mean to fearmonger or threaten anyone. Where you buy is your own choice as our valued customers."
After the clerk’s shout, the bookstore quieted down considerably.
However, the fact that "an official gazette from a bookstore outside is only half the price" still caused Liufang Bookstore to lose quite a few customers.
Seeing this, one of the hired master craftsmen next to Feng Shuyu took advantage of a lull and asked with a smile, "Boss Feng, are you really not worried at all?"
He was, of course, referring to her lack of concern about her bookstore’s business being stolen away.
Feng Shuyu still had that same calm and composed look. Although she didn’t know Ming Lingyi’s exact plan yet, she had been having cravings these past few days and would go to Ming’s Restaurant whenever she had a free moment. While she hadn’t seen Ming Lingyi, who was often out, she had heard about Ming Lingyi’s movements from the restaurant staff. Because of this, Feng Shuyu had a few guesses of her own.
"Of course I’m not too worried," Feng Shuyu said. "Business, after all, requires a certain degree of integrity. If you sell something you’ve stolen, you’re bound to get into trouble sooner or later."
