Chapter 99

99. Chapter 99: Are You Going to Oppose Me for a Wild Girl?

Jiang Xiaoxiao pursed her lips slightly, then pointed her finger at the paper, brushes, and inkstones on the opposite counter that were marked with prices, and read them out without a single error:

"... White cotton paper, the paper quality is soft and resistant to folding, five hundred wen."

"Yellow cotton paper, valuable for being moth-proof, six hundred wen."

"Kaihua paper, although the paper is thin, it has extremely strong toughness, seven hundred wen."

"Lianshi paper... one thousand wen."

"... Bluestone inkstone, two taels of silver."

"Red silk stone inkstone..."

Following the childish and crisp voice, the whole group stood stunned on the spot, looking at Jiang Xiaoxiao, who was only five years old, in disbelief.

She not only accurately read out the names and prices marked on every paper, brush, and inkstone, but also stated the advantages and disadvantages of these papers clearly and without error.

This level of literacy was definitely not something a five-year-old child from an ordinary family would possess.

Zheng Yaocai widened his eyes, pointing at Jiang Xiaoxiao, who was dressed in coarse hemp clothes, and was so shocked he couldn't speak: "You, you wild girl, how could you..."

"Zheng Tongsheng, the teacher has taught that a scholar should be wise and reasonable, and must not wrongly accuse people," Duan Yu said calmly, "You should apologize to this little friend."

"A-apologize?!" Zheng Yaocai immediately refused. Even if he really had wrongly accused someone, did a wild girl from the countryside deserve his apology?

"Hmph, even if she knows how to read, so what? It still can't prove that she didn't come to this bookstore to steal books!" Zheng Yaocai said in a fit of pique.

After saying this, he looked at Duan Yu with an unhappy expression, and there was no trace of the fawning intention he had toward him earlier in his tone: "I say, Duan Yu, I respect you three points because you are an official student, but don't be ungrateful. Is a wild girl worth you getting angry with me?"

Seeing Zheng Yaocai get angry, the classmates who were helping Duan Yu speak up didn't dare to say anything more.

Although they stood on Duan Yu's side, Zheng Yaocai was also not someone to be trifled with.

He was the brother-in-law of Merchant Sun, a wealthy merchant in Qingping County.

Merchant Sun had a fortune of ten thousand strings of cash and was a famous wealthy merchant in Qingping County. Just the servants in his own mansion numbered over a hundred. The masters were served when they went out, and they lived a life of luxury with fine clothes and food every day, a level of extravagance that ordinary people couldn't imagine.

Although Duan Yu was a rare, excellent, and top-ranking official student at Suiyang Shuyuan who enjoyed subsidies and preferential treatment from the Imperial Court, and the child students in the academy had to rely on him to act as a guarantor for the provincial examination, in the end, he was just a student from a humble background, far inferior to the wealth and status of Zheng Yaocai's family.

Usually, helping to speak a few words because Duan Yu was an official student was nothing, but now that this "great Buddha" Zheng Yaocai was clearly angry, there was no need for them to offend him for the sake of a little girl.

Seeing that everyone stopped talking, a satisfied smile finally appeared on Zheng Yaocai's face: "That's right. I say, Duan Yu, you are an official student enjoying Imperial Court subsidies, and I am a wealthy merchant with a fortune. We are the same kind of people and should stand together against outsiders. How can you stand on the side of an outsider and make me lose face?"

Facing Duan Yu, he still didn't speak too harshly; after all, Duan Yu's status was here.

Ever since he stepped into Suiyang Shuyuan, he had been told by his sister and brother-in-law that he must build a good relationship with the official students inside, especially this person, Duan Yu.

Although he was born into a humble family, he was the person at Suiyang Academy with the most hope of passing the scholar and promoted scholar examinations. Even the Mountain Chief, who always had high standards, praised him highly, saying that this child's official career would definitely be smooth!

He was also often told at home that he must build a good relationship with Duan Yu.

He had been doing so, acting humble and low in front of Duan Yu, and even the classmates who often dealt with Duan Yu were respected by him by three points.

But now, these people dared to climb up his nose and treat themselves as something!

"Brother Zheng is right, that's right..." The group of people immediately changed their tune, and even their address for Zheng Yaocai changed, "Brother Zheng has a big family and a big business, why wrongly accuse this little girl for no reason? It must be that this little girl has sticky fingers, which made Brother Zheng come forward."

As this group of people spoke, they kept winking at Duan Yu.

Usually, it was fine to show off a little, but at this critical moment, they shouldn't care about that kind of wild girl.

Their family backgrounds were all average, and they usually relied on their status as official students to show off in front of Zheng Yaocai, but they still had to maintain their surface relationship. After all, with Zheng Yaocai around, they could even use the expensive paper and brushes sold in this bookstore as they pleased...

Facing the defection of the crowd, Duan Yu didn't speak, but frowned tightly and said word by word: "Zheng Tongsheng, wrong is wrong. Since you have wrongly accused others..."

Before he could finish his words, he was interrupted by Zheng Yaocai's sneer: "Duan Yu, are you really going to oppose me for a wild girl!"

As he spoke, he glared fiercely at Jiang Xiaoxiao on the side, still not forgetting to smear Jiang Xiaoxiao: "The bookstore next to our Suiyang Shuyuan sells a single sheet of paper for hundreds of copper coins. Look at the poor and sour clothes she's wearing; can she afford it? She must have come here to commit petty theft!"

Just at this moment, a commotion suddenly erupted outside the bookstore.

"Young Master Jiang, why have you come!?"

Following the bookstore manager's exclamation—a group of people who had never heard the manager speak to anyone in such a fawning tone—all looked over in unison.

Jiang Xiaoxiao also couldn't help but turn her head to look, and at a glance, she saw Jiang Yu and his servant.

Jiang Yu, who had just walked into the bookstore, saw Jiang Xiaoxiao surrounded by the crowd at a glance, and then took a big stride and walked toward her.

The bookstore manager and the two bookshop attendants followed him respectfully, not forgetting to enthusiastically introduce something to him along the way.

Zheng Yaocai, who had been high and mighty just a moment ago, saw Jiang Yu and his eyes immediately lit up.

It was actually Jiang Yu, the famous young owner of the Fu'an Trading House!

Anyone who did business knew Jiang Yu's great name.

The Fu'an Trading House had industries all over the country, and its business covered everything. His brother-in-law, Merchant Sun, who had a fortune of ten thousand strings of cash, was thinking day and night about connecting with the Fu'an Trading House, which was the business leader he most wanted to connect with. If he could build a relationship with Jiang Yu, wouldn't that be ten thousand times better than fawning over that block of wood, Duan Yu!

Zheng Yaocai suppressed the excitement in his heart, walked up impatiently, bowed respectfully to Jiang Yu, and said in a fawning tone: "I didn't know Young Master Jiang was visiting; I failed to welcome you from afar... I am Zheng Yaocai, the brother-in-law of Merchant Sun, and I am currently studying at Suiyang Shuyuan..."

"Yo, little girl Xiaoxiao, it's been a long time!"

Jiang Yu didn't even glance at Zheng Yaocai, who had come up to fawn over him, but walked directly to Jiang Xiaoxiao and said happily: "I met your mother on the road just now and only then learned that you came to my bookstore to buy books. Are there any papers, brushes, or books you like? Pick whatever you want, Brother Jiang will cover it."

Jiang Xiaoxiao: "..."

So this bookstore is also an industry under your Jiang family.

The paper and brushes inside sell for so much... You deserve to make so much money.