I Want to Buy Lots and Lots of Books

Early the next morning, Bai Mo woke up rubbing her head. Her head hurt so much!!

She really had been a little drunk yesterday and had forgotten to use her Wood-Element Ability to regulate her body. With her weakling constitution and a hangover on top of it, this was just too much.

She called Lixia in to help her wash and dress, and couldn't help considering her studies. Aside from eating, drinking, and having fun, the original owner hadn't known the first thing about anything else. She had been a purebred airhead!!

Spoiled by Madam Chen, she had done whatever she pleased. It was one thing for her to refuse to attend school, but when the family hired a tutor, she had simply chased them out.

By comparison, Bai Yuanshuang had earned the title of xiucai at such a young age. Comparing people really could make you die of frustration!!

Bai Peilan had lectured Bai Mo about it many times. After all, Bai Peilan was the head of the Imperial Academy, yet her most beloved daughter couldn't read a single character. It was truly embarrassing.

Bai Mo thought about her study. There wasn't a single book in it!

It was nothing but a recreation room, where she kept crickets, birds, lizards...

She couldn't help sighing. "Lixia, tell Xiaohan to clear out my study in a bit. We're going to a bookshop to buy some books."

Lixia looked at Bai Mo in surprise, but quickly schooled her expression.

"Yes. I'll prepare the carriage after you've had breakfast."

Bai Mo nodded.

After spending a few days with the three maids, Bai Mo had grown very fond of them all. Xiaohan was lively, Lixia was steady, and though Xiaoman was a little timid, she was the most hardworking of the three.

There was also a senior maid, Lichun, who had reportedly gone home to visit her family for a few days. She was the most free-spirited of them all and highly skilled in martial arts. She had suited the original owner's tastes best.

After breakfast, Lixia accompanied Bai Mo out. Bai Mo was still considering what books to buy. She seemed unable to recognize any of the characters here, so would she have to start from scratch??

Bai Mo had barely stepped out when an old servant reported to Madam Chen in the Peach Blossom Courtyard, "First husband, the eldest young lady has gone out again. I heard from the people around her that she's going to a bookshop."

"She's certainly doing well, isn't she? She hasn't set foot in my courtyard these past few days. She's truly becoming more and more unruly.

You said she's going to a bookshop? Could she be buying illustrated storybooks? Can she even read them?"

Madam Chen covered her mouth and chuckled, finding it very amusing.

The mockery on his face made the old servant immediately lower her head, not daring to look again.

The carriage slowly came to a stop in front of the Hundred Gatherings Studio.

"Lixia, is this the place?"

Bai Mo lifted the carriage curtain and looked at the shop across the way.

"Yes, miss. This bookshop is called the Hundred Gatherings Studio. It's the largest bookshop in the Capital and has the widest selection of books. Many scholars and literary figures love coming here."

Bai Mo nodded slightly, lifted her skirts, and jumped down from the carriage.

"Then this will do. I'll go take a look."

The Hundred Gatherings Studio had three floors, and its interior was decorated with understated elegance. There weren't many people inside when Bai Mo entered. Women dressed as scholars stood in twos and threes, browsing the shelves.

No one came to greet her. There was a place for tea in the center, where someone who looked like the shopkeeper was brewing a pot.

As Bai Mo approached, the fragrance of tea filled the air, and the words "Da Hong Pao" naturally sprang to mind.

Bai Mo didn't know much about tea, but the original owner did. When it came to eating, drinking, and having fun, there was nothing she hadn't mastered.

"Top-grade Da Hong Pao. Shopkeeper, you really have a fine hand with tea."

"Are you a fellow student of the tea ceremony, my lady? Please, come and sit."

The shopkeeper was very courteous.

She was an elegant woman in her forties. She spoke softly and unhurriedly, making her pleasant to listen to.

"Haha, then I'm in for a treat." Bai Mo didn't stand on ceremony. She sat down at once, picked up a cup, and sampled the tea with practiced poise.

Seeing that Bai Mo was forthright and possessed an extraordinary appearance and bearing, the shopkeeper felt inclined to make her acquaintance and took the initiative to ask, "Have you come to buy books, my lady?"

"Mm, I might be buying quite a lot."

"What books would you like, my lady? Whatever else you might say, the Hundred Gatherings Studio certainly isn't afraid of selling too many books."

After a moment's thought, Bai Mo stood up, took a book from the shelf beside her, and flipped through it.

Good grief, she couldn't understand the writing here at all.

Would she have to start by learning her first characters?

Fortunately, Bai Mo's mental power was extremely strong, and her memory was comparable to what ordinary people called a photographic memory. As long as she put in the time, she had nothing to worry about.

Bai Mo turned around, a little embarrassed.

"Shopkeeper, I need all the books from beginner primers to those for the imperial examinations. Could you put together a complete set for me?"

The shopkeeper caught on at once. After a moment's thought, she replied, "Do you have a young child who's just starting to learn, my lady? You could begin with the primers and buy the books for the xiucai examinations once the child has passed the preliminary examinations."

Bai Mo shook her head frankly and pointed at herself. "I'm the one who's learning."

The shopkeeper was a little taken aback, but immediately realized she'd misspoken and schooled her expression. "Very well, I'll put together a complete set for you, my lady. There will be rather a lot. Would you like me to have them delivered to your residence?"

"Sorry for the trouble. Please deliver them to the Residence of the Earl Who Protects the State."

The expression on the shopkeeper's face grew unnatural again. Could this young lady be the eldest daughter of the Residence of the Earl Who Protects the State?

He knew the second daughter of the residence. Though her literary talent wasn't especially outstanding, she had earned the title of xiucai at a young age.

Half an hour later, just as Bai Mo felt her legs going numb from waiting, the shopkeeper finally came back at an unhurried pace.

"Eldest Miss Bai, my surname is Pan. You may call me Shopkeeper Pan. The total comes to two hundred and ten taels. This primer is a little extra I've included for you."

"If you need anything else in the future, just send someone to let me know."

Lixia immediately stepped forward to settle the bill. Bai Mo breathed a sigh of relief. She couldn't shake the feeling that she was completely out of place amid the bookshop's refined atmosphere, so she politely took her leave of Shopkeeper Pan.

Shen Qing sat on the third floor of the bookshop. He happened to glance downstairs and saw a familiar figure hurrying away.

"Xiaojing, summon Shopkeeper Pan."

Xiaojing hurried off to fetch her.

"Master." Shopkeeper Pan bowed respectfully, then stood with her hands behind her back.

"Do you know who that woman in white was, and why she came today?"

Surprise showed on Shopkeeper Pan's face. Why was the young master taking an interest in a woman? Didn't he find women most annoying?

"Master, that was the eldest daughter of the Earl Who Protects the State. She came to buy books today and bought more than 120."

Shen Qing looked utterly puzzled. "Why did she buy so many books?"

Shopkeeper Pan smiled and replied, "They range from beginner literacy primers to books for the imperial examinations. Miss Bai said she wanted to study them herself."

Shen Qing felt he understood Bai Mo even less now.

Still, it was good that she wanted to study and better herself, so he asked no more.

Shopkeeper Pan had always been kindhearted and never looked down on others. Unable to tell what the young master was thinking, she withdrew.

"Xiaojing, go find out whether there's been anything unusual about Eldest Miss Bai lately."

Shen Qing narrowed his eyes, which resembled a pool of unfathomable depth.

After Bai Mo returned to the residence, she began to worry again. She couldn't understand a single character. Surely she couldn't go to school and become classmates with a bunch of little brats, starting with the basics?

She had to find someone to teach her all the characters, and only then could she start studying on her own to catch up.

Her mother went to the Imperial Academy every day and was exhausted by the time she came home.

Bai Yuanshuang and her father were even more out of the question.

She would still have to ask her mother to hire another tutor for her.

After lunch, Bai Mo sat in meditation and regulated her body. She planned to wait until Bai Peilan returned and hear how she would arrange her studies. Most importantly, she needed to hire a tutor first to teach her to read!!

Toward the end of the shen hour, the old maidservant who attended Bai Peilan came to report. "The head of the family has a social engagement today and won't be dining at home. She may return very late, so she sent me to let you know, miss. You can go see her tomorrow."

"All right, I understand."

Bai Mo dismissed the maidservant and was about to tell Lixia to prepare dinner when she saw Bai Yuanshuang passing the courtyard entrance. Bai Mo secretly wondered how to kill her!!

Then she suddenly remembered the poison in Shen Qing.

"I've rested enough. I need to go check on him."