vrcanaries Chapter 189: Queuing Until Midnight (3rd Update)
Chapter 189: Queuing Until Midnight (3rd Update)
"Daughter, you've gone mad!"
Sima Huixuan looked terrified.
“Father, you haven’t read Mr. Wuming’s stories. You have no idea how good they are! Otherwise you wouldn’t have said such a thing.”
Sima Huixuan added, "It's just a storybook..."
His daughter liked the stories written by Wuming, and he was very supportive. After all, they had money. The hundred taels of gold they had spent before were for his daughter's birthday. He wanted to make his daughter happy, so he wanted to let the mysterious Wuming make an appearance.
Of course, there's also the matter of his business.
Given Wuming's high profile and the fact that no one in Bianjing knew his identity, he thought that if he could make Wuming appear, he could use this "gimmick" to attract the attention of all parties in Bianjing, and thus increase the reputation of their Sima family's merchant guild in Bianjing.
Despite offering such a huge temptation, Wuming refused to show himself, leaving him with only regret.
"Father, this is more than just a storybook." Sima Mengjun was unhappy.
Sima Huixuan didn't take it seriously and just told her to go back and rest quickly.
Sima Mengjun could only take the storybook back to her boudoir.
Back in her room, she took out her storybook. Even though her eyes were dark and her spirits were unusually high, she was still thinking about her father's attitude earlier, and she became dejected.
She didn't expect her father to understand her emotions and preferences, but he rarely paid attention to her inner world and always had ulterior motives.
Even the fact that she spent a hundred taels of silver to invite Mr. Wuming to make an appearance was because she valued Mr. Wuming's reputation and the benefits he would bring to the Sima family; her birthday was just a side event.
Although she was sometimes a bit silly and naive, she was still able to understand her father's thoughts.
Her father doted on her, but the Sima family was more important to him. She wasn't sad, after all, she had received favors from the Sima family, but she was always sad inside.
Because her father was very busy and had no time to take care of her, especially after arriving in Bianjing, she was often left alone to face the empty mansion and a group of servants.
So in her heart, Mr. Wuming's stories accompanied her through long and boring times.
These were enough to fill her monotonous world, and through storybooks, she made many friends in Bianjing, broadened her horizons, and learned that women should not live in confined spaces.
Thinking of this, she was even more grateful that Mr. Wuming had remained unmoved at the time, which was also the reason why she admired and loved Mr. Wuming.
Having figured all this out, she stopped worrying and picked up a book to start reading. She had to stay up late to read, otherwise she wouldn't know what to talk about at the book appreciation event in a few days!
Since the bookstore stayed open all night, the printing workshops also stayed up all night printing. They sold books while the printing workshops printed.
If it weren't for Ye Yuwu's generous payment, the printing shop wouldn't have been willing to work so late.
Finally, dawn broke, and the queue reached its end. One group left, and another group arrived.
Helpless, Ye Yuwu glanced at the exhausted bookstore staff and others. All the printed storybooks had been sold out, so she decided to close the shop and take a day off.
After seeing the last person off, they closed the door and collapsed into their chairs, exhausted.
The sunlight streamed through the wooden window and fell perfectly on their faces.
A group of people were massaging each other's backs and shoulders, and some even fell asleep on the table. They had been busy all night and their eyes were all bruised and dark.
Seeing that everyone was so tired, Ye Yuwu waved her hand and said, "Take a day off."
Upon hearing that they could have a day off, everyone who had been slumped over their desks immediately exclaimed and stood up.
Ye Yuwu hadn't slept all night and was extremely tired, so after returning to her residence, she sent someone to the Three Departments to ask for leave.
The three officials arrived, but they couldn't find Ye Yuwu. They couldn't sit still in their chairs.
Some people looked around at the door, but after a long time, they didn't see the usual figure carrying pastries coming in.
I couldn't sit still all morning, so I couldn't help but go to the office of the Salt and Iron History Bureau to subtly inquire about it.
Lord Duan knew exactly what these people were thinking. Usually, when people delivered pastries, some of them would pretend to be reserved, but now that the person was gone, they all felt uneasy and came to him one by one to ask.
Lord Duan didn't sell the photo, but instead stated that Ye Yuwu had asked for a day off, so he wouldn't be coming today.
Upon hearing the news, everyone returned to their seats dejectedly.
Meanwhile, the Censorate waited all day but didn't see the Three Departments coming to show off. They scratched their heads, puzzled, wondering if they were hiding something good or up to no good!
It was eerily quiet, unlike the usual three offices; no one was there to handle government affairs.
Ye Yuwu's actions have unsettled both sides.
A short while later, the Censorate's Inspectorate returned from the Three Departments.
"How is it?" an official from the Censorate asked, sticking his head out quickly.
"We've found out! It turns out Lord Ye took the day off! They ran out of pastries! That's why they didn't come here to brag!"
"Hahaha! These people from the Three Departments have finally met their match! Let's go and take a look at them."
It was lunchtime, and several officials from the Censorate went to the Three Departments to watch the spectacle, carrying pastries from Baiweizhai.
They adopted the same ostentatious manner as the previous three divisions.
"These new pastries from Baiweizhai are really good! But it took a long time to get them. After I leave the office, I still need to buy some for my wife."
The people from the three departments had nothing to show off, so they silently endured it.
Damn the Censorate, I'll tolerate you for just one more day!
Ye Yuwu was unaware of their power struggles; she slept soundly.
A new round of book appreciation events has begun.
This book appreciation event was organized by several literary figures.
Since the last time Sun Xianren used his keen "sense" to realize the importance of Mr. Wuming's storybook, he allowed his favorite student to seize the opportunity and obtain a powerful official position.
These people then began to seriously value Mr. Wuming's storybooks.
Even students at the Imperial Academy are reading these storybooks nowadays, so there's no reason why they shouldn't.
Only after reading this did I realize how important the things described in the book are to the current Jin Dynasty!
"If this book were to spread to other countries, wouldn't that be..." No one dared to say the rest, but they all knew the consequences.
Although worried, they still had to wait and see what the court would do.
"Anyway, let's study the latest issue of the storybook first!"
The group finally managed to send someone to buy the storybook. They heard that back then, buying storybooks was a matter of scrambling. Each person could only buy one, and they needed to show their identification token to purchase it, which was also to prevent some people from reselling them.
After these scholars bought the storybook, they read it all night. Yesterday, the bookstore closed and no books were available for sale. Since many people did not buy it, the book was borrowed.
However, some people didn't have enough money, so they pooled their money with a few others to buy the storybook.