The Bond of Rebirth
Having been delayed for so long, it was already past the time for Class Ding to finish school at noon. When she arrived at the pavilion, she saw Xu Xue already waiting there.
"Sis, you really handed in your paper early?" Xu Xue asked, a mix of surprise and unease in her voice.
Zhao Ruxi patted her head. "Don't worry, I handed in my paper after I finished. Let's go, I told Qingfeng not to go back this morning, but to look for a bookstore on the street and come pick us up at noon. She should be waiting outside right now."
"Sister, you think of everything so thoroughly." Xu Xue said with admiration.
The two left the academy, got into a carriage, and Uncle Lu, at Qingfeng's instruction, led them to the entrance of a bookstore.
"Miss, Miss Xu, I visited five or six bookstores in Beining this morning and compared them. This bookstore is quite large, and the price they offered was also quite good. However, the shopkeeper also said that when selling storybooks, you can't just look at the thickness; the most important thing is how well the book is written," Qingfeng said.
"Thanks for your hard work."
The three of them got off the carriage and went into the bookstore.
Since her transmigration, Zhao Ruxi has been constantly busy. Apart from that time she went shopping and sampled snacks with Xu Yongyi and Xu Xue, she hasn't had a proper chance to go shopping.
This was her first time entering an ancient bookstore.
She was disappointed as soon as she went inside.
Qingfeng said this bookstore was quite large. Not to mention the modern Xinhua Bookstore, even the small private shops in wholesale bookstores were much better, with their books displayed crammed full.
The shop is only about 20 square meters. A row of bookshelves surrounds the wall, with books separated one by one, totaling no more than 40 or 50 books.
In front of the bookshelf, about ten feet away, there was a ring of waist-high glass cabinets. The cabinets also contained some books. The bookstore clerk stood between the bookshelf and the glass cabinets. When a customer needed a book, they had to ask the clerk to take it out of the bookshelf or the glass cabinet.
But after thinking about it, she felt relieved.
Books were expensive in this era, so they couldn't be like modern bookstores where customers could pick them up and browse them themselves.
Zhao Ruxi went in without saying a word, walking along the bookshelves, looking for books she could read. After passing the area with the Four Books and Five Classics and Five Classics and their commentaries, she stopped at the counter displaying travelogues and other miscellaneous books.
"Hey buddy, bring these books out so I can take a look," she called out.
The shop assistant quickly came forward and handed her the book.
Zhao Ruxi stood there and started flipping through the book.
Seeing this, Xu Xue couldn't help but say, "Sister, we don't have much Wushi, please hurry."
Zhao Ruxi turned her head in surprise. "I'm picking out my books, you're selling your storybooks, why are you waiting for me?"
Xu Xue: "..."
Zhao Ruxi ignored her and continued flipping through the book in her hands.
Seeing this, Xu Xue bit her lip and looked at the waiter with some difficulty.
Qingfeng came to inquire about the price of storybooks this morning. The shop assistants recognized her and knew she was there on behalf of her owner to ask about selling storybooks.
Hearing Zhao Ruxi and Xu Xue's conversation, one of the shop assistants stepped forward to greet Xu Xue: "Miss, do you have any storybooks to sell? We'll buy any well-written ones. Or, shall I go and call our manager?"
Xu Xue wasn't timid; she was just inexperienced and used to relying on others. Now that Zhao Ruxi was telling her to sell it herself, she understood her sister's good intentions.
She opened the bundle she was carrying, took out the storybooks inside, and placed them on the counter. "Yes, I want to sell storybooks."
"Please wait a moment, I'll go call the manager," the waiter said, and went into the inner room.
Soon, a middle-aged man came out, holding a book in his hand.
He glanced at Qingfeng first, then looked at Zhao Ruxi and Xu Xue, a hint of disappointment flashing in his eyes.
In the morning, Qingfeng came to inquire about the price. Shopkeeper Jiang saw that she was dressed as a maid, but she was wearing silk and riding in a carriage, so he guessed that her master must be from a wealthy family.
These people write storybooks as a hobby, and the stories they create are often more original than those written by impoverished scholars who are forced to write them to make a living. Occasionally, a good one will come along and become a bestseller.
So Shopkeeper Jiang earnestly told him the price, hoping to receive a good storybook.
Unexpectedly, two young girls arrived, looking only thirteen or fourteen years old. The one selling storybooks was dressed less elegantly than the maid. Shopkeeper Jiang had completely given up hope of getting any storybooks.
However, adhering to the businessman's principle of "harmony brings wealth," he still Xu Xue politely. "My surname is Jiang. May I ask how you are addressed, young lady?"
"My surname is Xu." Seeing that this person was kind, Xu Xue felt less uneasy.
"Is Miss Xu going to sell storybooks?"
"Yes."
"May I take a look first?" Shopkeeper Jiang asked.
Xu Xue was unaware that the gentle shopkeeper in front of her actually distrusted her completely. Seeing that he treated her with courtesy and respect, she felt grateful and touched.
She picked up the storybook from the counter, handed it to the shopkeeper, and said with a smile, "Please take a look, shopkeeper."
The shopkeeper nodded and picked up the storybook to start reading.
The outline of Xu Xue's story is the one Zhao Ruxi gave her.
Zhao Ruxi knew that a person writing a story couldn't be too detached from their own life environment and understanding. If she gave Xu Xue a military theme or a palace intrigue outline, Xu Xue would definitely not be able to write it.
She gave Xu Xue a slice-of-life story, one she had read in a magazine.
The story is about a girl who falls in love with her cousin. However, the girl's mother thinks her cousin is mean and her son is unreliable, so she disagrees with the marriage. She finds another marriage for her daughter and marries her off against her daughter's wishes.
After the girl got married, her husband treated her very well, and her parents-in-law were also kind, but the girl could never forget her cousin and was depressed.
The mother, worried that her daughter might do something foolish, took her to burn incense, hoping it would help her resolve her inner conflict.
The girl fell asleep without realizing it while listening to the sutra.
She dreamt of a woman who accidentally fell into a river while washing clothes. Her body floated downstream and, due to the river's current, became a naked corpse.
The body was washed ashore, and pedestrians crossing the river all detoured to avoid it. Only one scholar stopped, took off his outer robe, covered the woman's body with it, and continued on his way to take the imperial examination.
Some time later, another man passed by. He saw the woman's corpse, sighed, found a high spot on the bank, dug a pit, and buried the body.
The girl slowly woke up from her dream, only to find that the people who had been listening to the sutras had left, and only the old monk and her mother remained in the room.
"Awake?" the old monk smiled. "Do you remember the dream you just had?"
The girl nodded.
The dream I just had was so real; it's still vivid in my mind.
The old monk sighed softly, "The female corpse was your past life. The scholar who covered you with his clothes was your cousin in this life. He was kind to you because of his kindness, which is why you were destined to fall in love. And the one who buried you is your current husband. He was kind to you because of his kindness, which is why you are deeply connected in this life and married."
The girl was speechless for a long time. She finally understood the saying, "It takes ten years of cultivation to share a boat ride, and a hundred years to share a pillow."
After returning home, she devoted herself to living with her husband, and their life was happy and fulfilling.
Zhao Ruxi named this story "The Bond of Rebirth".
Zhao Ruxi felt that Xu Xue could understand and write this story. Moreover, because the story was full of twists and turns and contained the Buddhist concept of "cause and effect," it would be more easily accepted by the market.