Chapter 13: Copyright

Zhou Qing held the chicken, feeling anxious and uneasy.

Her lie had caused great trouble for the calligraphy shop, it felt like repaying kindness with ingratitude.

Zhou Qing looked down and kicked a pebble by her foot, pondering how to explain things to Shen Li.

Explaining was easy—just tell the truth. But how could she make up for the consequences?

Zhou Qing was fierce when facing opponents, but in this situation...

Thankfully, Shen Li handled it well.

Sigh!

If only when she transmigrated, she had some medical skills like other female protagonists.

If she could just treat Shen Li’s injuries with a wave of her hand, she could make up for it.

While pondering, Zhou Qing suddenly noticed a shadow above her. She looked up abruptly and saw Shen Li standing opposite her with a warm smile.

Zhou Qing quickly took a step back, smiling awkwardly and apologetically, "Boss Shen."

"What a coincidence, seeing you again."

As he spoke, Shen Li's gaze fell on the chicken in Zhou Qing's arms. He frowned slightly and asked curiously, "What is that?"

Zhou Qing touched her nose, "Yesterday, I received so many things from you, Boss Shen. I wanted to give you this chicken as a thank-you gift. I didn't expect that my lie yesterday would cause you so much trouble... Thank you, Boss Shen."

She was thanking him for his generosity and also for covering up her lie just now, without putting her in a difficult position.

Shen Li looked at Zhou Qing gently, feeling an urge to reach out and ruffle her hair.

A strong urge.

"No problem, don’t worry about it. Running a shop, we often encounter such issues." As he spoke, Shen Li reached out for the chicken. "Is this the chicken you’re giving me?"

Shen Li's casual tone eased Zhou Qing’s anxiety considerably. "Yes, it's already prepared. You can make beggar's chicken with it."

"You’re very thoughtful." Shen Li took the chicken. "Did you come to town just to give me this?"

Zhou Qing...

She forced a grin, "Not just that, but mainly to bring you the chicken. I'm also planning to visit a bookstore. I won't keep you from your business any longer. I'll be off now."

She waved to Shen Li and left.

Shen Li wanted to stop her but changed his mind. He watched her leave, his lips curving into a smile as he took the chicken into the calligraphy shop.

Uncle Zhong, having witnessed everything at the calligraphy shop's entrance, looked at Shen Li with a hint of disdain.

Why did it feel like his lord turned into a fool when talking to Miss Zhou?

However, despite his disdain, he was quite happy inside.

After all, the fool had finally opened his heart.

He already understood who spread the "buy one, get two free" rumor the moment he saw Zhou Qing.

"Milord, what is that?" Uncle Zhong asked, glancing at the chicken in Shen Li's arms with a meaningful smile.

"Hmm, Miss Zhou gave me a beggar’s chicken. We’ll have it together when she comes back."

Uncle Zhong...

He didn't hear Miss Zhou say she'd come back.

"Milord, are you sure Miss Zhou is coming back?"

Shen Li nodded, "Of course."

Then he carried his chicken to the inner room.

Unaware that her plans had been determined, Zhou Qing entered a bookstore.

"What can I get for you, Miss?" The shop assistant greeted her warmly.

Zhou Qing looked around and got straight to the point, "I want to get my father a book-copying job."

The shop assistant couldn't handle this request, so he called the shopkeeper out.

The shopkeeper was a plump, scholarly-looking man in his forties.

"Your father wants to copy books?"

Zhou Qing took out a piece of her father's writing and spread it on the counter.

The shopkeeper glanced at it and couldn’t help but exclaim, "What excellent calligraphy! These characters have a lot of vigor and style."

Hearing this, Zhou Qing felt slightly more at ease.

However, the shopkeeper immediately followed with, "Which academy is your father affiliated with?"

He was familiar with all the excellent students in the county academies but hadn’t heard of anyone with a daughter this old.

The shopkeeper looked at Zhou Qing, puzzled.

Zhou Qing smiled wryly, "My father hasn’t attended any academy yet."

Shopkeeper...

Hasn’t attended an academy yet?

A child then?

But... his daughter is already this old?

Perhaps he took in a bride who brought her own child?

Zhou Qing...

"My father studied in his youth, but later the family became poor, and he had to stop. He’s been farming ever since. However, he never stopped practicing his calligraphy..."

Before Zhou Qing could finish, the shop assistant burst out laughing, interrupting her.

The shopkeeper glared at the assistant and turned back to Zhou Qing, saying, "Miss, you might not know, but copying books, though it’s hard work for the scholars, also costs us paper, ink, and money. So, we don't take on just anyone."

This was a rejection.

Zhou Qing had anticipated rejection before coming.

After all, not everyone could earn money from copying books.

Without saying much, Zhou Qing revealed the first two lines of a poem, "Take a look at this."

"Like a bamboo cling to the green mountain, never letting go, rooted deeply within the cracked rocks."

The shopkeeper read aloud as he glanced at the text, feeling its boundless vigor and lasting charm.

It had been a long time since he had seen such a good new poem!

"Excellent! Excellent! Just these two lines?"

He was eager to know the rest.

Zhou Qing grinned, "Of course not. If it were just these two lines, why would I show them to you?"

Understanding her intention, the shopkeeper laughed, "Miss, do you want to use this poem to get your father a chance?"

Zhou Qing shook her head.

"I know the bookstore is compiling a poetry collection. If you like it, I want to sell this poem to you."

The original Zhou Qing had heard about the poetry collections while seeking work in town.

Currently, major bookstores were popularizing poetry collections, which gathered recent poems. The higher the quality of the collection, the more it attracted readers.

"Sell?"

"Yes, I'll sell this poem to you. You can use it and put your name on it freely. After that, it has nothing to do with my father. Rest assured, no one else has seen this poem."

Hearing this, the shopkeeper's eyes brightened.

This poem was definitely of top quality, much better than what he had collected so far.

If he could really put his name on it freely...

Thinking of how popular this poem would become among scholars, the shopkeeper’s heart itched, "What price do you have in mind?"

Zhou Qing smiled, "Up to you. After all, I still want my father to copy books for you."

The shopkeeper laughed heartily, "You’re quite the strategist, young lady. Where did you get this poem?"

"My father wrote it."

The shopkeeper didn’t believe it, but seeing Zhou Qing's firmness, he didn’t press further. "Alright, do you think ten taels of silver is enough? If so, let’s sign an agreement."

Zhou Qing...

Ten taels!!!

Wow!

Selling copyrights is indeed lucrative!

"Sure, but I can’t write. Let’s use my fingerprint instead." she agreed promptly without bargaining.

Writing ancient characters was difficult. Zhou Qing could barely read them, let alone write.

The shopkeeper quickly drafted an agreement, making two copies.