Scholar Customs

Tan Fucheng hired more than a dozen rickshaws and took everyone to Yan Sha Study.

He didn't say another word along the way, and the other drivers who accompanied him didn't dare to speak either. In front of these Carriage Driver, Tan Fucheng and the others felt ashamed of their own vulgarity.

Li Banfeng was very curious. What was there to be ashamed of? Tan Fucheng was usually a very carefree person. Why did he suddenly look down on himself today?

Lu Chunying and Lu Yuanxin seem to have been unaffected.

"Well."

Li Banfeng heard another sigh.

The Carriage Driver lowered the cart handle and said to Tan Fucheng, "The so-called destination is just a temporary pause in the journey. After the pause, people will eventually embark on a new journey."

The cycle of life is merely a scene along the journey; only the footsteps on the journey are the unchanging eternity.

Tan Fucheng bowed deeply and instructed his men, "Don't ever say I used to pull a rickshaw; I'm really not worthy of it."

Yan Sha Study is a study with tens of thousands of books. It also functions as an inn, and many scholars come here to read. Because they are so engrossed in reading, they stay at the study.

Xiao Yeci chose this residence. She had longed to visit Yan Sha Study for a long time. When she saw the layers of bookshelves in the library, Xiao Yeci's breathing became rapid.

"Mom, your face is red and you're sweating."

"Mom likes it here!"

"Mom, let's arrange accommodation first. It seems like Brother Tan isn't very talkative."

Tan Fucheng stood at the front desk of the study, his face covered in sweat from anxiety. Xiao Yeci stepped forward and said politely, "We need ten rooms."

Standing behind the front desk was a young woman with a standard Pro State bob, the short hair typically worn by female students.

She wore a light blue long gown, similar in style to a cheongsam but looser and not emphasizing her waist; it was a unique school uniform for female students in Pro State.

The woman looked at Xiao Yeci and asked in a low, deep voice, "People are merely passersby in the flow of time, so why do you insist on living here?"

Xiao Yeci answered frankly, "The books here have deeply attracted me. I have come here with a devout attitude to study and I would like to stay here for a while longer."

The young woman nodded and said, "The study has an upper room, a middle room, and an lower room. Which one would you like to choose?"

None of them revealed their identities during their visit to the Ink Fragrance Shop, but since they were all people of status, their accommodations couldn't be too poor.

Xiao Yeci said, "We want to stay in the superior rooms."

The woman asked, "Did you choose the upper room for pleasure?"

Yes! I'm here to study, so how can I be picky about accommodation?

Xiao Yeci felt very ashamed and quickly changed her mind, saying, "Then let's stay in the middle room."

The woman frowned and said, "Is changing the selection of the house a deliberate attempt to appear mediocre?"

Xiao Yeci hesitated, "Are you asking me to choose a lower-class room? Isn't a lower-class room a bit inappropriate?"

The woman's brows furrowed even more. "Are you so vain? If it's just for pleasure and vanity, with the outside world so prosperous, why did you come to the Ink Fragrance Shop? Why do you still live in the study?"

Xiao Yeci lowered her head, looking ashamed, and said, "I was presumptuous..."

"I don't mean to be presumptuous, but your desire to learn is not pure."

Xiao Yeci felt even more ashamed and nodded repeatedly, saying, "Then we can stay in the lower room."

The woman looked at Xiao Yeci with disappointment. "You chose the lower room. Is it because you're stingy with money? Or is it an insult to the study?"

"I... I didn't!" Even Xiao Yeci didn't know what to say.

"Well."

Li Banfeng heard another sigh.

Xiao Yeci stammered, unable to speak. Lu Yuanxin glanced at Lu Chunying, preparing to use some extreme measures.

Lu Chunying nodded.

Lu Yuanxin walked to the counter and said to the woman, "Open ten superior rooms and have your people come and get the luggage."

The woman looked at Lu Yuanxin and asked, "Did you choose to go to the upper room for pleasure, or for vanity?"

Lu Yuanxin tapped the table, and a spherical object appeared on the table.

The woman initially thought it was an egg, but after a moment, the "egg" suddenly stretched out, revealing a dense array of legs and feet.

It turns out this wasn't an egg; it was a coiled-up millipede.

The millipede stretched out its body and slowly crawled on the counter.

The woman gasped and took two steps back, saying, "Is this a desecration of knowledge, or an insult to students?"

"This is my warning to you. I want ten superior rooms." Lu Yuanxin tapped the table again, and a millipede crawled onto the woman's face.

The woman quickly booked the rooms, and everyone checked in. Xiao Yeci, however, felt somewhat sad.

"My dear NanNan, is my heart truly impure?"

"Mom, you're the most innocent one, don't stoop to that person's level!"

At noon, after everyone had eaten, Xiao Yeci took Lu Chunying to the study to read, while Li Banfeng went out for a stroll alone.

The Ink Fragrance Shop has a quiet kind of prosperity, which is quite different from the Green Water City.

The streets were narrow, lined with shops, but none of them had anyone standing outside hawking their wares.

If you want to buy something, you first need to understand the signboard, then you need to understand the quality, and then you can discuss the price with the shop owner.

The bargaining was devoid of arguments and noise; it was all done in a poetic manner.

"This pen deserves a proper owner. Once you see my handwriting, you'll understand that it belongs to me."

"I believe you and this pen have a connection from a past life, but if you're still hesitating and agonizing over twenty yuan, I think your connection in this life ends here."

That's considered straightforward; there are some shops where Li Banfeng can't even understand the signs.

For example, in Footwear Workshop, someone might want to go in for a foot massage, but it's actually a place that sells socks.

For example, there's Flower Blowing Pavilion. Some people want to go in and blow on the flowers, but actually it's a place that sells toothbrushes and toothpaste. After brushing your teeth, the air you blow on will smell like flowers.

For example, Lu Family Bookstore looks like an ordinary bookstore, but in fact, this store also sells old newspapers.

That's strange, why does Ink Fragrance Shop also have Lu Family Bookstore?

Is this a case of the same name, or has the store opened a branch?

Li Banfeng pushed open the door and entered the bookstore, finding that the shop was small, but its decoration and layout were exactly the same as those of the bookstores in Green Water City and Medicine King Gully.

Boss Lu greeted him, "Boss Li, it's been a long time!"

The same goes for bosses.

Li Banfeng laughed, "Boss Lu, you've opened another new shop?"

Boss Lu shook his head and said, "This isn't a new shop. Ink Fragrance Shop is my hometown; it's my family's old shop. I came back to take a look since it's the New Year."

Boss Li, are you here to buy newspapers again?

Li Banfeng shook his head and said, "I don't want to buy newspapers, I want to read books."

"This way, please!"

Li Banfeng was a regular customer, so he could read whatever he wanted. Boss Lu even brought him a chair and poured him tea.

"Boss Li, what kind of book would you like to read?"

"Books written in the local area."

Boss Lu took out more than a dozen books from the bookshelf and placed them on the table. Li Banfeng flipped through them one by one and took a fancy to one set of books called "The Wise Scholar".

This is a biography, divided into two volumes, which tells the anecdotes and stories of a genius writer who was destined to be associated with wisdom.

This "Wise Scholar" was born in Ink Fragrance Shop. Li Banfeng read other books and found that this Wise Scholar often appeared in the local literature of Ink Fragrance Shop. In Ink Fragrance Shop, he can definitely be regarded as a legendary figure.

This person is exceptionally intelligent. He can guess other people's intentions with just a few words and see their weaknesses with just a few probing questions. He is not only exceptionally talented but also skilled in both literature and martial arts. He carries a Judge's Brush that can be used for writing and as a weapon.

Li Banfeng bought the first volume, folded the second volume in half, and left it at the bookstore.

When they arrived at the checkout counter, Boss Lu noticed that Li Banfeng had only bought the first volume, so he quickly instructed his waiter to bring the second volume, "Boss Li, how can you read only half a book? I'll give you the second volume for free."

Li Banfeng stopped the shopkeeper and said, "No need to be polite. I'm not buying it because I think it's too expensive, but because it's too troublesome to carry around. I'll buy the second volume after I finish reading the first volume."

Boss Lu asked, "If I may ask one more question, Boss Li, out of so many local books, why did you choose this one, 'The Wise Scholar'?"

Li Banfeng said, "Because this book tells the story of local customs, I'm not really used to this place since I just came to Ink Fragrance Shop."

Boss Lu laughed, "Boss Li, don't think you're the only one who's not used to it. I was born in Ink Fragrance Shop, and even though I'm away doing business and only come back once every year or two, I still find it a bit strange."

"You must be in trouble?"

"I actually encountered something," Li Banfeng recounted the incident at Yansha Bookstore. "Boss Lu, does that woman at the bookstore even want to do business anymore? Why is she making things so difficult for her customers?"

Boss Lu said, "Business is definitely going to be done. Since you guys chose the best rooms, she can make more money, and she'll certainly be happy."

But as happy as she was, she couldn't let this get out, otherwise people would think she was all about money and lacked the integrity of a scholar.

She asked if your choice of the superior rooms was out of vanity. Your response would be simply, "It shows respect and reverence for the study." That would be a satisfactory answer.

"Then you say you want to switch to a smaller room, and the girl will earn less, so she'll definitely be unhappy. And then you say you want to stay in a lower room, and that makes the business difficult."

Li Banfeng frowned and said, "If you want to do business properly, why didn't you make things clear from the beginning?"

Boss Lu shook his head and laughed, "That's the rule at Ink Fragrance Shop. If you speak too bluntly, you'll be seen as vulgar."

It seems there's still a lot to learn here. Li Banfeng took the book and left. There were no other customers in the shop. Boss Lu put the book back on the shelf and was about to take a nap when he saw a man wearing a white long robe and a white top hat walk in.

"Sir, are you buying books?"

He Jiaqing shook his head and said, "I want a few newspapers."

"I don't sell newspapers here."

"I came here to buy old newspapers, of course."

Boss Lu added, "What I'm selling isn't waste paper."

He Jiaqing nodded. "I understand the price."

After buying a few newspapers, He Jiaqing left the bookstore. Seeing that it was still early, he hailed a rickshaw and went to Carefree Dock, where Jiang Mengting had a special performance that afternoon.

Li Banfeng spent the afternoon walking around the streets and gained a general understanding of the layout of the Ink Fragrance Shop.

This is a city, quite large in area, with crisscrossing streets, distinctive features, antique architecture, a large population, and a thriving variety of industries, offering plenty of business opportunities. But as Ma Wu said, to do business here, one must understand the temperament of a scholar.

For example, if you want to sell general merchandise, you can call your shop Linglong Treasure Pavilion), but if you call it Mouji General Merchandise Shop (某记杂货铺), you're guaranteed to have no business.

If you want to open a brothel, the girls must be talented and charming. Only when the feelings are deep enough can things naturally fall into place. If the feelings are not there before the water comes, it is disrespectful to the scholar.

There's a Poetry Club up ahead.

Poetry Club exist in other places as well; poets can form a Poetry Club by gathering regularly, which is not unusual in Pro State.

But the Poetry Club at Ink Fragrance Shop is different. Poetry Club's a type of shop, a business specifically for matchmaking.

At first glance, the shop looks somewhat similar to Poetry Club and a teahouse, but the shop provides writing implements and arranges for men and women to sit facing each other, visiting friends through poetry.

A blond, blue-eyed man, having just finished writing a poem, recited it in a clear and resonant voice. "I am willing to gaze into your eyes, I am willing to hold your arm, I am willing to press my cheek against yours, I am willing to protect your heart, I truly love you, the great Ink Fragrance Shop!"

The girls present gave their comments:

"The wording is vulgar!"

"The language was too explicit!"

"Shouting at the top of their lungs!"

"Utterly vulgar!"

Amidst the girls' comments and disdain, Cui Tike walked out of the Poetry Club dejectedly, where he happened to run into Li Qi.

Cui Tike exclaimed in surprise, "What a coincidence, to run into you here?"

Li Banfeng was also surprised. "What are you doing here?"

Cui Tike said, "Learning from Pro State's culture, Ink Fragrance Shop is the pinnacle of Pro State's culture, and I love Ink Fragrance Shop."

Li Banfeng asked, "Did you get your tattoo removed?"

Cui Tike ripped open his shirt, revealing five large characters. "That's inevitable."

"You just changed it so casually, aren't you afraid your Grandmaster will see it?"

Cui Tike fastened his coat and said, "I'll change it back when he arrives."

Li Banfeng glanced at the Poetry Club: "This should be a place for matchmaking. You want to settle down in Ink Fragrance Shop?"

Cui Tike sighed, "I'd like to, but the girls in Pro State don't like foreigners."

As he spoke, a herpes rash appeared on Cui Tike's face.

Li Banfeng took a half step back, and Cui Tike waved his hand to indicate that he meant no harm.

The blisters ruptured, and the green sap transformed into a tiny, emerald-green figure. It flew to Li Banfeng's ear and whispered:

"I have a business deal I'd like to discuss with you," Cui Tike sincerely, looking at Li Banfeng.

Li Banfeng pushed up the brim of his hat with his fingers, revealing his eyes, signaling Cui Tike to continue.

Cui Tike, controlling the little green man, slowly said, "Chu Shaoqiang is coming. He wants the land of the Ink Fragrance Shop."

The Grandmaster is arriving soon; he wants Chu Shaoqiang dead.

A good friend of yours is coming too, and I have some news about him.

PS: Why did Chu Shaoqiang choose Ink Fragrance Shop?

No matter how the world changes, I love my dear readers the most!