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Those who had come out clutching books went happily towards the carriage.
Shen Yu’an observed a scene where a young maid joyfully carried two small booklets and hurried over to a carriage.
“Miss, I’ve bought them. We have both books.”
Without delay, a pair of delicate and fair hands extended from the carriage, taking the two booklets.
Following this episode, the crowd around the bookstore gradually diminished.
Shen Yu’an then entered the shop with Hua Ling.
Inside the bookstore, there were still a few people gathered around, holding items that seemed to be the booklets those people had just purchased.
Shen Yu’an became curious and took a glance, wondering what had attracted so many people.
She bent over to look, not yet able to read the words on the pages, when Hua Ling exclaimed excitedly, “An’An, isn’t this the script book!”
Shen Yu’an didn’t immediately grasp the situation and blurted out, “What script book?”
Hua Ling pulled her forward for a closer look, pointing at the booklet in someone’s hand and said, “It’s this one.”
It was only then that Shen Yu’an saw the words “Wuxia World” written on the booklet, which happened to be the script book she had given to Fei Yanchen.
As the scholar who held the script book turned to see Shen Yu’an’s face, a faint blush crept onto his cheeks, and he extended the booklet towards Shen Yu’an.
“Would the young lady like to purchase a script book as well? I’ll give you this one.”
Shen Yu’an glanced at the book in his hand and noticed that the entire shelf in front of him was filled with similar books.
She politely declined, “No need, we’ll take them ourselves.”
With that, she reached out and took two booklets, the first and second volumes of “Wuxia World.”
After taking the book in her hand, she casually flipped through it. The young man who looked like a scholar next to her had no choice but to retract the offered booklet.
However, his gaze continued to drift towards Shen Yu’an’s direction.
His companion beside him noticed his expression and chuckled, whispering to him, “Brother Fang seems to have taken an interest in this young lady.”
The scholar’s face turned red, and he somewhat awkwardly responded, “Don’t spread baseless rumors and tarnish the young lady’s reputation.”
Hua Ling observed them whispering and wanted to remind them that they were so close that she could hear their words.
But Shen Yu’an’s attention was not on the two of them at this moment, so naturally, she didn’t pay any heed to what they were saying.
The contents within the book were neatly printed, with rows of small characters standing upright on the pages.
After taking away those completed script books, Fei Yanchen had not returned to Longxian Village.
The Shen family naturally had no knowledge of the progress of these script books.
A few days ago, during casual conversations after meals, the family discussed the taken script books and speculated about how much money they could earn from them.
However, Shen Yu’an thought it would take some time before these script books could gain attraction.
Unexpectedly, they became popular without anyone realizing it.
She remembered how when she had just met Fei Xi, he mentioned that the script books had greatly helped Fei Yanchen.
What good could a script book do, except perhaps earn some money?
She never expected that within such a short period, these script books had been successfully promoted and gained such popularity.
What Shen Yu’an didn’t know was that the explosive popularity of the script books wasn’t solely due to Fei Yanchen’s efforts. He had merely completed the initial steps.
The script books spread from person to person, gaining momentum in an era where entertainment content was scarce, leading to their rapid popularity.
Fei Yanchen also took advantage of the situation, consolidating several shops and turning them into bookstores, becoming the sole vendor of these script books and reaping abundant profits.
Since they were already at the bookstore, Hua Ling picked out a few more script books besides “Wuxia World,” intending to take them back to pass the time.
Thanks to Shen Yu’an’s connection, both the Shen and Zhang families had access to firsthand copies of “Wuxia World.” Even if they were to buy them, there wasn’t much left to read.
Shen Yu’an also purchased some paper and ink, planning to bring them back for her older brothers to use.
In this era, books, paper, and ink were all expensive commodities.
Shen Yu’an and Hua Ling only took four script books, a stack of paper, and a set of ink and brushes, and it cost them twenty taels of silver.
The shopkeeper of the bookstore appeared to be a middle-aged gentleman with an air of scholarly refinement.
As Shen Yu’an settled the bill, she took a moment to observe the middle-aged shopkeeper.
She exchanged a few words with him, and he displayed a composed demeanor.
Shen Yu’an didn’t reveal her identity and simply paid the bill before preparing to leave.
Inside the bookstore, the two young scholars who had been selecting books together were still there, yet to depart.
One of them gave a nudge to the man named Fang, expressing his urgency, “Brother Fang, you should have engaged in a conversation with that young lady. Now we don’t even know her surname, name, or background. How will you continue this connection in the future?”
Fang Chun looked towards the direction Shen Yu’an had left with a hint of hesitation, perhaps feeling that rushing forward might not be in line with proper etiquette, hence his reluctance to approach.
As Shen Yu’an and Hua Ling were about to leave the bookstore, the man beside Fang Chun gave him another push.
This nudge gave Fang Chun the courage he needed. He followed the momentum and walked forward, intercepting Shen Yu’an just before she was about to exit the bookstore.
Fang Chun clasped his hands together and spoke with a composed tone, “This… young lady, I am Fang Chun. I feel an instant connection with you. May I inquire about your name?”
Shen Yu’an looked up at Fang Chun, her expression calm and her tone cool, “I have only briefly met you, sir. My sister and I have matters to attend to, so I must bid you farewell.”
With those words, Shen Yu’an took Hua Ling’s hand and gracefully walked around Fang Chun, leaving the bookstore.
Fang Chun remained rooted in place, Shen Yu’an’s melodious voice echoing in his mind, utterly enchanting.
Sitting behind the counter, the shopkeeper watched the scene unfold in his store and let out a quiet click of his tongue.
He had expected to witness a heartwarming moment between two destined souls, but the woman had simply walked away.
Normally, a young girl encountering such a situation would have blushed and shown embarrassment.
Yet the woman from earlier had calmly declined and left just like that.
Tsk, tsk!
The shopkeeper withdrew his gaze, disinterestedly flipping through the ledger on his table, occasionally picking up a pen to jot down something.
After Shen Yu’an left, Fang Chun and the other man also paid for the script books and departed.
These book had originally held a low opinion of such demoralizing script books.
However, this wuxia script was undeniably captivating, so everyone ended up purchasing them, and no one had much to say against it.
The man accompanying Fang Chun clearly didn’t quite agree with his secretive behavior, and he offered some words of advice during their journey.
He essentially remarked that Fang Chun didn’t know how to seize opportunities.
Fang Chun sighed helplessly, walking ahead in silence.
Shen Yu’an and Hua Ling, on the other hand, left the bookstore and headed down a different street.
Hua Ling looked at Shen Yu’an and asked, “An’An, did that guy just now like you?”
Shen Yu’an playfully tweaked Hua Ling’s nose and chided, “You’re just a kid, what do you know about liking someone?”
Hua Ling rubbed her nose with a hint of defiance. She knew quite a bit, after all, that’s what those script books were talking about.
However, Shen Yu’an quickly added, “What he did is called being swayed by appearances, his intentions are impure!”
Hua Ling, acting like a young fan, nodded and said, “An’An is right, An’An is the most beautiful!”