May I Know the Fair Lady's Age?

Shumei Paper Mill, a very elegant name, perfectly matching the temperament of a talented woman.

According to the description in the Qiuyuan Evening News of Green Water City, two years ago, Shen Rongqing bought a paper mill from the He Family, which is this Shumei Paper Mill. At that time, it was only mentioned in a short article on the third page of the evening newspaper.

Upon arriving at the paper mill, Li Banfeng didn't rush inside. He wasn't sure if the paper mill was still Shen Rongqing's business.

He went into a newsstand, bought two magazines, and chatted with the owner.

Do you know who owns this factory?

The newsstand owner shook his head and said, "I've been selling newspapers here for over ten years, and I haven't seen the owner in the last two years."

"Have we met before?"

"I've seen it before!"

"The owner here used to be surnamed He, have you really seen him?"

"Who said the surname is He? The owner's surname is Tu!"

"Surname Tu?" Li Banfeng asked, puzzled. This factory was clearly purchased by Shen Rongqing from the He Family, as stated in the newspapers.

Is this stall owner just making things up?

"What was the previous owner's name?"

"Tu Shumei, in Black Stone Slope, our boss Tu is a big shot. In the papermaking and printing industry, everyone knows her. Later, for some reason, the business couldn't continue, so she sold the business. This is quite common in Black Stone Slope."

Tu Shumei.

Her surname is also Tu.

Li Banfeng remembered something: Qin Xiaopang had once said that Tu Yinghong also came from Black Stone Slope.

Could there be any connection between Tu Shumei and her?

Li Banfeng asked, "How old is Boss Tu?"

The stall owner thought for a moment, "I remember when she was still working in the factory, she was already nearly sixty years old."

She is not Tu Yinghong; their ages don't match.

Or perhaps it has something to do with Tu Yinghong?

"I'd like to meet this Ms. Tu. Do you know where she lives?"

The stall owner shook his head and said, "I don't know that. I heard she's no longer at Black Stone Slope."

"Do you have relatives living here?"

"No, when Boss Tu's business was at its peak, a reporter came and did an exclusive interview with her. Boss Tu said that she was an orphan, had no children or siblings, and built her business all by herself. She is a true heroine!"

So, it's possible that she and Tu Yinghong have no connection.

Is this stall owner reliable?

Since he remembers the interview from several years ago, why doesn't he know about the news in the Qiuyuan Evening News?

Was it because the news was too insignificant?

Do you have the Qiuyuan Evening News here?

"I don't have any here. You're from Green Water City, right? Nobody in Black Stone Slope reads the Qiuyuan Evening News," the stall owner chuckled. "If you want to read serious news, I have the Green City Daily."

This is a newspaper published by the Ling family; it still has a market in Black Stone Slope.

Ling Miaowen and Ling Miaoying are both dead, but the Ling family's newspaper is still being run.

The stall owner continued, "If you want to see something less respectable, I have plenty. The most unrespectable piece in Black Stone Slope is definitely 'Night-Blooming Jasmine'!"

Li Banfeng's cheek twitched.

Who says "Night Fragrance" is not proper?

"Give me a copy of 'Night Fragrance'."

"Do you want a newspaper, a magazine, or a movie?"

Li Banfeng was taken aback. "You even have movies here?"

"Yes, there is. 'Night Fragrance' movies are released weekly. I have the latest ones, and I also have some older ones!"

They're even selling these at newsstands?

The stall owner shrugged and said, "Want one? Twenty-eight yuan!"

Li Banfeng frowned and said, "Twenty-eight yuan isn't cheap. I'd rather go see a movie. Isn't 'Blood Spear Detective' more exciting than this?"

"How can that be the same? 'Blood Spear Detective' is shown in theaters. If you get into it, you can have a scene in the theater? How embarrassing! Apart from Ma Junyang from Green Water City, probably no one else would do something like that."

"It's different with 'Night Fragrance' (夜来香). You can set up the machine at home and play it secretly, and nobody will know!"

"What if my wife finds out?"

"Don't worry if they find out, let's watch together. Let me tell you, my wife loves watching this..."

Li Banfeng shook his head and said, "I don't have Shadow Play Machine."

"I have some here, it's also from Ye Lai Xiang, the authentic Seven Chuan Brand."

Seven Chuan Brand?

Who came up with this name?

Was it Little Chuanzi who came up with it?

Why did you include me too?

The stall owner brought out the Shadow Play Machine and asked for 800.

Li Banfeng bargained down to 600, but the stall owner refused. "This thing sells well, 800 is cheap. Many families save up to buy one for their homes, and many newspaper reporters are also scrambling to buy it."

"The newspaper, the magazine, and that film reel—I'll give them to you for free, and I can even throw in a screen as a discount. This machine is priceless; not a penny less."

The stall owner wouldn't budge, but Li Banfeng wasn't angry.

He bought the Shadow Play Machine, and carrying the machine, its stand, newspapers, and magazines, he went to the paper mill.

The paper mill gatekeeper walked over, looked at Li Banfeng, and asked, "Who are you looking for?"

"I'm looking for your boss."

What brings you here?

"I'm a reporter."

Seeing that Li Banfeng was dressed smartly and carrying Shadow Play Machine, he certainly looked like a reporter. The doorman said, "Please wait here for a moment, I'll go ask our manager."

A moment later, the person in charge arrived and smiled at Li Banfeng, saying, "Excuse me, which newspaper are you a reporter from?"

At this point, we can't say "Night Fragrance"; we have to say a proper publication.

"I'm a reporter for Black Stone Miscellany, and I'd like to do a special feature on the paper industry."

The manager became much more polite, and "Black Stone Miscellany" still held a high position in Black Stone Slope.

"Our boss isn't at the factory. Could we schedule another time?"

Li Banfeng said, "That's not appropriate; I'm in a rush to finish the manuscript."

The other party didn't press the matter, and after exchanging a few polite words, Li Banfeng picked up the machine and left.

Shen Rongqing has many businesses under her control, which are well hidden. Her subordinates are also well-trained, making it difficult to uncover any clues on the surface.

We need to try and find an inside man.

Bai Qiusheng and Yuwen Qi are from Black Stone Slope, so we need to talk to them about this first.

Li Banfeng went straight back to the newspaper office, Bai Qiusheng exclaimed in surprise, "Seventh Master, you're here!"

Li Banfeng, carrying Shadow Play Machine, laughed and said, "Where's Chuanzi? I've come to celebrate his victory. Let's hurry up and set up a feast."

Not only should we celebrate the success, but we should also reward Chuanzi handsomely. We should give Chuanzi a sum of money and give Chuanzi 20% of the shares in the Shadow Play Machine.

Bai Qiusheng looked troubled. "Seventh Master, Chuanzi is sick and hasn't been able to get out of bed for two days."

"Is he sick?" Li Banfeng's head buzzed, and he immediately thought of Disease Cultivator.

He went to Chuanzi's room and saw that Chuanzi was lying flat on the bed with a pale face. He saw Li Banfeng and wanted to speak but could not.

"Has Chuanzi met with anyone recently?"

This question stumped Bai Qiusheng.

Chuanzi has been busy running his projector business lately and has met many people, so where does he begin?

"Seventh Master, how about we take it slow..."

"Let's sort things out on the way. First, let's take Chuanzi to Green Water City."

"Seventh Master, the doctor said that Chuanzi is too weak and cannot be moved easily."

This is troublesome. If it really is a Disease Cultivator, Li Banfeng can't find a solution except for Cui Tike.

In his anxiety, he suddenly heard the Wine Gourd whisper in his ear, "Little brother, let's find a place to talk."

Li Banfeng returned to his room and said to the Wine Gourd, "Little brother, this young man's symptoms are different. Ma Wu is really sick, but this young man seems to be just tired."

"I'm just exhausted. I rested for two days, but I'm still not feeling better?"

The Wine Gourd said, "I've followed the Medicine King for many years, so I can't be wrong about basic pathology. Why don't we discuss it with my sister?"

Li Banfeng returned to Portable Abode, and the Wine Gourd told Little Chuanzi about his illness to the record player.

Huff!

"Judging from the symptoms, it seems like overwork. He's been lying down for a long time without improvement. How is this person's physical condition normally?"

"He's in very good health."

Chuanzi was in good health when he was operating the road roller, and his health improved even more after he entered the Daoist sect. Logically speaking, mere fatigue should not have knocked this young man down.

The Wife asked again, "Does he have any cultivation?"

"Maintenance work on the first floor."

Have you made anything good lately?

"I've made a Shadow Play Machine." Li Banfeng showed the Shadow Play Machine in his hand to his Wife.

The projector next to him scoffed, "The materials are so crude, it's truly an eyesore."

Compared to it, it's definitely inferior.

"But this thing is cheap, ordinary people can afford it, and they can watch movies at home by unfolding a screen."

"How are the sales?" It was rare for the Wife to inquire about business matters.

"Business is booming."

"That's right, my husband. If a craftsman makes a good product with a good reputation, the price of goods will skyrocket. The more people use it, the better the reputation, and the faster the price will rise."

Judging from this kid's condition, he's definitely going to advance to the second level, and might even jump to the third. An ordinary person's physique can't withstand such a rapid advancement.

Let alone ordinary people, even Li Banfeng couldn't handle the challenge of being promoted across levels.

"Does my Wife have a solution?"

"Hey, my husband, if this were any other Daoist sect, advancing to a higher level would be certain death. But the Craftsmanship and Farming Cultivator sects are special cases, so there's still a chance to mitigate the damage. I'll write down a prescription, and you can go and get some herbs."

Li Banfeng exclaimed in surprise, "My Wife has such skills?"

The record player chuckled, "Hey, my dear husband, haven't you struck gold by marrying Little Slave?"

"Good thing, good thing!" Li Banfeng pressed his face against the record player and rubbed it hard against the cabinet door for a long time.

The record player laughed so hard she could hardly breathe, "My lord, you mustn't! My lord has a beard, it's so itchy it's killing this Little Slave!"

The Wife wrote a prescription with a needle, and Li Banfeng had the herbs brought back. Then, he brought Red Lotus over and refined the herbs into a pill.

"Give him this pill and let him rest quietly during this time. When the Peddler comes, he can buy a bowl of the Soul Return Soup and he will be able to get through this."

Li Banfeng quickly fed the pill to Chuanzi.

After taking the medicine, Chuanzi improved significantly. Li Banfeng gave him instructions and then summoned Bai Qiusheng.

He asked about Shen Rongqing.

Bai Qiusheng's reaction was similar to Ma Wu's. "Shen Rongqing is Peerless Talented Woman. All the literati of Black Stone Slope know her name."

"You know that she bought a paper mill in Black Stone Slope two years ago, right?"

"I don't know," Bai Qiusheng shook his head repeatedly. "A talented woman like Shen Rongqing probably wouldn't know how to do business, would she?"

"What's wrong with doing business? Is it shameful?"

Bai Qiusheng chuckled twice, "She can support herself with her talent, so there's no need for her to put in the effort in business."

Li Banfeng then asked, "Do you know someone named Tu Shumei?"

"I know, she's a heroine, a master in the papermaking and printing industry."

Chuanzi bought a hand-cranked printing press before; it was made by Tu Shumei. The small newspapers in Black Stone Slope all relied on this little printing press to make a living.

Repair?

Tu Yinghong is also a worker in the repair department!

But the age doesn't match.

How old is Tu Shumei?

Bai Qiusheng pondered for a moment and said, "If I remember correctly, I should be sixty this year."

Sixty years old.

If we assume she advances to the next level at twenty, and cultivates step by step for forty years, her cultivation level should be at the fifth level.

Since he is a big shot in the papermaking and printing industry, it proves that he is talented. It is not impossible for him to reach the sixth level, or even close to the seventh level.

She created a hand-cranked printing press, which received a good reputation and was used by many people.

If she were to climb another floor, that would be the seventh floor, or even close to the eighth.

This matches Tu Yinghong's cultivation level.

Li Banfeng returned to his Portable Abode and asked his Wife, "Can a sculptor fix a face?"

Before the record player could even speak, Hong Ying chimed in, "Sure, Seventh Son, next time you catch a live repairman and bring him back so you can see my former beauty."

P. S.: I wonder what Ling Miaoying would think if she knew that Tu Yinghong was sixty years old.