Chapter 357

Although Xiao Guang didn't immediately get what 'simp' meant, the word is simple; after a moment's thought of its literal meaning, he understood.

At this time and place, the townsfolk of the whole street—he wasn't exactly silver‑tongued either—found himself momentarily unable to rebut, so he left with an ugly expression.

As a northerner of the Great Jin, he really had no way to say that Prince You was wrong.

After all, they truly went west with real swords and spears, drove off the Xiongnu and Xianbei, and unified the Northern Border. He couldn't face acting like those Chang'an folks, shouting that whatever was taken back should be returned to the court.

Tiezhu drove Xiao Guang away with his scolding, and now even more people are queuing on the street—how could this not be considered tacit approval by the authorities?

Grabbing some to take home and share with neighbors and relatives would be great—instantly saving three hundred wen, isn't that fragrant? Those with quick minds and spare cash buy three or five catties; reselling them later at the same price as the salt merchants would surely sell well, for this salt is clean, with not a trace of earthy odor.

Poor people of the Great Jin—no one has ever eaten a dish without that earthy smell!

The Grand Steward's tossing about this time might not lack a fishing‑for‑ compliments motive; knowing the Northern Border can produce this snow salt, who would doubt that a motivated person wouldn't be moved?

The salt was selling like hotcakes; now the Owl Rider sees Tiezhu as especially tall and sturdy—no one who calls Tiezhu simple‑minded would dare to stay silent, they'd all jump out to oppose.

Three carts of salt sold out before dark, and that's only because the measuring tools were slow.

Tiezhu also kept his promise, leaving after selling out, and under Xiao Guang's gaze he led his team out of the city.

Lu Hen, after watching the excitement, rushed home breathless and said, "Tell you all, the people of the Northern Border have left the city! We actually listened to them, and the day after tomorrow we'll honestly follow them— or rather…"

Lu Jia cut him off: "How about we set out early while the night is dark and the wind high?"

Lu Hen nodded, "Can we let them go off arrogantly? Great idea!"

Lu Jia: "…We tried this morning. We can't get away."

"What? When did you try this, and why didn't you call me?! That's going too far, Brother Xie!"

Brother Xie simply had no time to deal with him, merely staring intently at the bag he'd bought for five wen.

The style of that sealable bag was modeled after the bread bag from White Poplar Supermarket; made of kraft paper, with a thin wire on one side of the opening—after filling it, you wrap the wire several times around the mouth, and a twist of the wire seals it shut.

Compared to the press‑to‑seal bags with plastic strips, this type is better suited to the Northern Border's production level.

The Great King's paper workshop found a suitable tree and soon produced it. Though the craft looks crude by later standards, in the Great Jin it left the Xie family's talented youths stunned.

The northern border definitely has iron mines. Their weapons are not bad, and they even have surplus used for salt bags.

Don't think a thin little strand uses much iron—ask any rebel king, who doesn't scrape the territory bare to gather weapons? If the territory happens to have mines, that's fine; if not, wanting to arm a rebel army is a hurdle.

「Can you tell how the shine on that paper is made? 」 Xie Lu, with such expertise, understands the Da Jin papermaking process completely; this northern border bag is truly amazing in every way.

「……No. This shine should be the key to being moisture-proof. 」

The northern border is still worth a visit; he's becoming more and more curious.

In Lu Xiong's mind, the northern border is a poor, cold, barren land. His family urged the brothers to go to the northern border for consideration, but he himself only felt that he would have to follow Brother Xie to the northern frontier to endure hardship.

The next day, upon going out, he bought whatever he saw on the street; Xie Tu and Lu Jia headed straight for the bookstore.

Fan Yang has the second-largest academy of the Da Jin dynasty; scholars from all over flock to Chen Commandery and Fan Yang, and this place of flourishing literary culture has streets lined with shops selling books, calligraphy, brushes, and ink. Their simple thought was that even if the northern border had salt and imported goods, in the line of brush, ink, calligraphy, and painting, Fan Yang could outshine the northern border by ten blocks.

These few prominent figures of Fan Yang City would only choose the best shops in Fan Yang; the proprietor of Chu Yun Xuan, upon seeing them, immediately came out to greet them personally.

「Young Master Xie, you've finally come! If you don't come these few days, our master will have to come personally to your residence to pay a visit! 」

「Oh? Looks like you've brought some good goods? 」

「Exactly! Our shop just received a new batch of goods from the northern border, including a very strange pen that can write without dipping in ink; I heard it was personally recommended by Professor Xie! Come over and take a look……」

Xie Tu: ……Who?

Then the proprietor went on at length introducing them to pencils and several odd notebooks, emphasizing how pencils are in high demand in the northern border.

「……I hear this pen is currently the most popular in the northern border; Professor Xie has a few at the northern border academy, it can write and draw, and we had it brought through connections……」

Lu Xiong couldn't help but mutter to himself, "How did we end up picking up the northern border's leftovers? Is this backwards?!"

Xie Tu finally found a gap and hurriedly interrupted the proprietor's endless chatter: "How do you know it was recommended by Professor Xie? Couldn't it just be a market sales tactic?"

The proprietor waved his hand: "No, no, we heard it from someone trustworthy. The signboard of the pencil shop is eye-catching, bearing Professor Xie's name; everyone in Youzhou knows it. If they didn't have Professor Xie's approval, they wouldn't dare—Professor Xie himself is right there in the northern border!"

Xie Tu was utterly bewildered—his uncle would certainly disdain to divert himself to business, so… is he genuinely recommending this pen?

「How much does it cost? 」

「Each one costs only three hundred wen; buy ten and get a free eraser! Look, this is the eraser, hold the pen like this to write, and you can erase and rewrite after. Buy thirty and get a free metal penknife! 」

「So cheap? Then give us thirty—ten each! 」 Lu Yuan Datou Xiong stepped right into the pit.

「All right! 」

Lu Xiong had his attendant pay, and he himself happily began picking out pencil colors.

The other customers in the shop had already been listening closely; wherever Xie Tu went, he was surely the center of attention. Hearing their lively talk, the students also eagerly opened their wallets to pick out pencil colors—quick, quick, quick, Young Master Xie bought them all!

Same model as Xie Tu!

「Don't even mention it—it's pretty fresh and nice-looking. Is this also from overseas? 」

「I really don't know where it's from; would you like the assistant to show you how to sharpen the pen? 」 Lu Xiong had his attendant go learn.

Following these three in, the expression of the owl‑rider who had been pretending to look at the painting gradually grew strange……

Three hundred wen—up fivefold! I really wish the king would open a branch here!

★

Owl‑rider: Report to the king, the people of Fan Yang are stupid and rich—come quickly!