He returned to the joss paper stall and said to the vendor, "Vendor, most of the people who come to your stall to buy joss paper also need memorial texts. Why are you pushing money away?" He continued, "Why don't we partner up? Let me use your stall. You sell joss paper, and I'll write memorial texts. I'll give you a hundred wen for every memorial text sold."
"You can write memorial texts?" The vendor was naturally intrigued but also looked at him with suspicion and asked,
"If you can write, why don't you set up your own stall to write them? Why share the money with me?"
Shen Xuan replied, "If I set up a stall alone, who would know I can write memorial texts? How can that compare to partnering with you, being conveniently located, and earning more?"
The vendor agreed that this made sense and gave Shen Xuan a blank piece of joss paper to try writing on.
Shen Xuan thought for a moment, then took up the brush and began to write.
His memorial text composition was very neat, with only the name left blank. His small, elegant script, though not stunning, was certainly good enough for a memorial text.
Shen Xuan handed the finished memorial text to the vendor, who hung it in front of the stall for customers to see. Indeed, no sooner had it been put up than a customer came to inquire.
"Vendor, if I buy joss paper here, can I get a memorial text written directly?" a middle-aged woman asked.
"Yes, but it will cost an extra guan (a string of 1000 wen), big sister," Shen Xuan quickly answered.
"You can write whatever you want. If you don't know what to write, you can also directly refer to this written sample. Just change the name."
The woman, who had initially thought Shen Xuan was just a handsome young man, blushed when she saw how dashing he looked and heard him sweetly call her "big sister."
She said, "One guan per sheet is indeed cheaper than other places. Your handwriting is also good, so I'll have one written here."
One taels of silver could be exchanged for one thousand two hundred wen at the time.
Other places charged one taels of silver for a memorial text, but here it was two hundred wen less, making it a better price.
Furthermore, Shen Xuan was not as aloof as those scholars; he was sweet-talking and wrote beautifully.
In less than half an hour, a long queue had formed in front of the joss paper stall.
Not only were there customers who bought joss paper from the stall, but some who had bought joss paper elsewhere also specifically came to him to have memorial texts written.
Shen Xuan wrote diligently, one sheet after another without stopping. Each memorial text brought in a hefty sum of copper coins.
In just an hour and a half, Shen Xuan wrote over twenty memorial texts, not stopping even when his wrist ached unbearably.
However, as the time approached shenshi (3-5 PM), there were still many people queuing.
Shen Xuan finally said to the vendor, "It's too late today. I'll just finish writing for the people currently in line. Tell the customers buying paper that if anyone else wants to write, they can come back tomorrow."
If it got too late, he wouldn't be able to return home and would have to stay overnight in the city, which wasn't cost-effective.
Moreover, Lin Ye was waiting for him at home, and Shen Xuan didn't want him to worry.
"Then come earlier tomorrow," the vendor said with some regret. He had agreed to Shen Xuan's partnership today with a trial mentality, hoping to earn some extra money from memorial texts.
He hadn't expected Shen Xuan's memorial texts to be so popular. In just half a day today, his share of the profit was no less than his joss paper sales, and it also brought him new customers.
"Okay." Shen Xuan nodded and continued writing for a while, completing a total of thirty-two memorial texts, finally finishing all the orders for the day.
By this time, the sun was setting, and it was getting dark. Shen Xuan quickly tallied the day's earnings with the vendor.
Thirty-two memorial texts amounted to thirty-two guan. Although he had to give the vendor three guan and two hundred wen, the remaining twenty-eight guan and eight hundred wen was a huge sum for Shen Xuan at the moment.
Coupled with his previous savings and what he earned from selling eels today, he had over twenty-nine guan.
***
Shen Xuan put his money away and bid farewell. He didn't go straight home but first went to a tailor's shop not far away.
Many ready-made clothes hung at the shop's entrance, and inside, there were even more exquisitely embroidered items.
Lezhou, being in the south, had developed weaving techniques, and the tailor shops were well-known far and wide for their craftsmanship.
This particular shop, located on Jinli Street, catered to wealthy customers, and the styles and workmanship of the clothes were quite refined.
Shen Xuan looked for a while, then asked the shopkeeper about the prices and sizes of the clothes.
After a long selection, he chose a dark blue fine cloth, narrow-sleeved long robe for one guan.
This garment had only a simple belt and a rolled collar, making its style very clean and sharp. It wasn't for himself; he had specifically chosen it for Xue Fenglin.
He thought to himself that Lin Ye was currently wearing his old clothes. Although he was tall, he was a Ger, and Lin Ye was much taller.
When Lin Ye wore his clothes, the sleeves and hems were a section too short. He then took another identical black garment and handed them both to the shopkeeper, thinking that two sets of clothes should be enough for Lin Ye to change into.
After buying Xue Fenglin's clothes, Shen Xuan also asked the shopkeeper to bring out shoes for him to try.
The shoes he was currently wearing were old ones from the Wang family; not only did they not fit, but their soles were as thin as paper.
Shen Xuan chose a new pair of shoes for two hundred wen. Although they were just ordinary fine cloth shoes, the uppers were thick, and the soles were layered with a thousand layers of cloth, making them a finger's thickness thick, much more comfortable than his previous pair.
Shen Xuan was very satisfied with these shoes, so he bought two pairs. After thinking for a moment, he also bought two pairs for Xue Fenglin, a size larger than his own. After buying the shoes, Shen Xuan looked at the clothes for himself.
He usually did a lot of manual labor, so silk and satin would easily get damaged. Besides, he was now living in the village, so it was better not to be too flashy.
So, Shen Xuan looked around and finally chose two of the simplest cloth garments. One was misty blue, and the other was jade green.
The misty blue garment had wide sleeves, and the jade green one had narrow sleeves. The material was also fine cloth, just like the ones he bought for Xue Fenglin. The price was also one guan per set.
"Young master, you look truly handsome. If you wear our clothes, you'll be even more dashing and elegant," the eloquent shopkeeper said, taking Shen Xuan's copper coins and offering him the clothes to try on.
Shen Xuan took off his patched old outer garment and put on the new clothes. It was just the simplest fine cloth garment, without any extra embroidery, yet it highlighted his slender figure, immediately adding a touch of nobility to Shen Xuan's entire presence.
The shopkeeper's eyes lit up; he hadn't expected his cheapest clothes to look so good on Shen Xuan and was quite impressed.
Shen Xuan was also quite satisfied and decided to keep the jade green, narrow-sleeved outfit on, asking the shopkeeper to wrap up the other items.
The shopkeeper immediately smiled and wrapped the remaining clothes in coarse cloth, handing the bundle to Shen Xuan.
However, buying just two new sets of clothes cost four guan and four hundred wen! Shen Xuan couldn't help but sigh that he still earned too little; it simply wasn't enough to spend. He also put aside his thoughts of buying other things.
***
To save time, Shen Xuan put on his bundle and paid five wen to hitch a ride in a carriage going to the dock outside the south city gate.
At the market near the dock, Shen Xuan got off. Seeing a spice shop still open by the roadside, he bought over a dozen kinds of spices inside, including cane sugar, Sichuan peppercorns, cumin, and bean paste.
These spices were expensive; Shen Xuan spent a full guan for just a few taels of each.
After buying the spices, he bought five jin of cooking oil. Adding various vegetables, ham, and lamb, he spent over eight hundred wen in total, not stopping until his bamboo basket was completely full.
There was still some time before sunset, so Shen Xuan quickly inquired about ox carts heading back to the village.
However, he found that the farmers who had come to the city that morning had sold their grain and had mostly left after noon.
Taking an ox cart from the city to the main road near the village would take at least an hour, let alone walking back.
Even if he could walk that far, it would be dark halfway there. Traveling at night would be difficult, and he didn't know when he would get home.
Shen Xuan hadn't expected that on his first trip to the city, he might be stuck because he had lingered too long.
He was a bit speechless, wondering if Lin Ye would be alright at home if he didn't return tonight. Would he worry?
Shen Xuan looked around and saw that the horse and mule market next to the dock was still open. His heart stirred, and he walked into the market.
Inside, he saw a large enclosure with many cattle and horses eating fodder. Next to it was a small hut, where the horse trader seemed to live.
"Anyone here? I want to buy a horse," Shen Xuan knocked on the wooden door of the hut, and an old horse trader walked out.
He looked at Shen Xuan and said, "Excellent warhorses are thirty taels per head, medium horses twenty taels per head, and inferior horses ten taels per head. Which kind do you want?"
Shen Xuan gasped at the prices. Even the worst inferior horse cost ten taels! He remembered that the old yellow ox at the village chief's house seemed to only cost eight taels of silver, two taels less than an inferior horse.
"Do you have any cheaper horses?" Shen Xuan asked. Ten taels of silver was twelve guan, which was still too expensive for him!
"Horses are always expensive. If you want something cheaper, then buy a mule." The old man looked at Shen Xuan, seeing his simple clothes and the bamboo basket on his back, assuming he wasn't a rich young master.
He then led out a dappled mule from the enclosure. "This mule is five years old, good for carrying people and goods, and it's fast. It's only five taels of silver. Do you want it?"
Compared to expensive horses, mules were a cross between a horse and a donkey. Because they couldn't reproduce, their price was considerably lower.
Shen Xuan saw that the dappled mule was sturdy and not much worse than an inferior horse.
Plus, at only five taels of silver or six guan, he was quite pleased. He patted the dappled mule's back, and the mule, as if intelligent, gave a cheerful snort.
Shen Xuan pulled the reins and swung onto its back. The mule was very docile, allowing Shen Xuan to ride it, only kicking its legs and taking two steps forward without any fuss.
"It's quite well-behaved," Shen Xuan said, satisfied, stroking the mane on its head.
He counted out six guan to the horse trader. Then he rode the dappled mule away, heading in the direction of Yunshui Village.
He would have business in the city again tomorrow, and having this mule would make things much easier. With its faster pace, he should be able to get home before dark.
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