Transmigrated into a female county magistrate during a famine, leading her country to prosperity

Rays of sunlight shine into the bookstore, and specks of dust dance in the sunlight.

Zhou Hanjiang blinked hard and looked at the guys in front of him through the light curtain.

"So...will we all be able to afford and read books in the future?" they asked.

Xu Zhubu replied: "As long as the printing house does not close down and no one makes trouble, the price of books will always be this. Thick books will be more expensive, and thin books will be cheaper. These books are priced according to Lord Shen's rules."

"Then..." The students asked again, "What about those rare books? The kind that cost tens or even hundreds of taels each."

Xu Zhubu replied: "As long as the printing house can receive these books and print them, the price will remain the same as it is now."

As long as the printing house can receive it...

Lord Shen is so powerful, so collecting the books... shouldn't be difficult, right?

"I know who has the 'Ce Zhang Gui'!" Suddenly, a student shouted in the crowd, "We can go find him and try to persuade him to lend the book to Tongan County! In this way, can Tongan County publish the book and show it to everyone?"

"Ce Zhang Gui" is a book for imperial examinations co-authored by several great scholars. It has a very high status among literati, but is hard to find among the common people.

As soon as the words fell, the students began to think.

"I know who has the 'Final Words'!"

"I have the Selected Works of Zhaoze, which I lent to Tong'an County. Can I exchange it for a few books at the bookstore to read?"

As the discussion became more heated, Zhou Hanjiang picked up the account book and slammed the table, "It's outrageous to make so much noise! ​​Let Lord Xu speak!"

Xu Zhubu nodded at him and said, "The books you mentioned just now are already in the printing house, but thank you for your kindness. There is a 'book donation' process in the bookstore. If the book you brought is not available in the printing house, the printing house is willing to exchange the book with you and return it after the plate making is completed."

The book can actually be lent to Tongan County Book Making Bureau!

The students were delighted at first.

"No!" They immediately realized, "Sir, you mean... books like "Ce Zhang Gui" and "Jue Ci" are all available in printing houses? Will they appear in bookstores in the future?"

Xu Zhubu smiled and nodded: "That's right. But it will take time, everyone please be patient, the county will not let you wait too long."

The students felt dizzy and like mice falling into a rice jar.

later......

As long as I stay at Tongan Bookstore, I won’t have to worry about books, right?

Everyone was blocking the counter. If they didn't move, people outside couldn't get in. The students outside pricked up their ears and tried to listen, but they could only hear a few words. It was so urgent.

The bookstore owner Li Zhushu was also blocked at the door and was sweating profusely.

There were still three quarters of an hour left before the appointed time, so how come the bookstore opened its doors straight away?!

Could it be that it was robbed?

"Make way! Make way!" Li Zhushu squeezed left and right among the students and finally reached the threshold.

He leaned against the door frame and gasped. When he saw Xu Zhubu inside, his heart sank.

——It’s over! The supervisor has already arrived, but he, the worker, is so late!

Xu Zhubu was so busy with the students that he couldn't get away. When he saw him out of the corner of his eye, he said to the students in a gentle voice, "Shopkeeper Li is here. Everyone can line up to pay. Please be orderly and don't crowd."

The students' unspoken words came to an abrupt end.

——Buying books is important!

The moon that was so far away in the sky finally fell into their arms today.

"You... come with me for a moment." Zhou Hanjiang stood up to make room for Shopkeeper Li, and said, "Put away my tea set and take it with you."

Xu Zhubu burst out laughing.

He denied that he was his student, but he still used his tongue to scold him every time.

He moved quickly and lightly, and in just a moment he had put away the tea set and followed Zhou Hanjiang to the provincial school.

Shopkeeper Li watched him leave and his outstretched hand slowly fell.

So many people...

Wouldn't he be chewed and eaten by these ferocious students?

"Don't worry, boss!" The student who bought the book patted his chest and stood directly to the side of the counter. "We will help you read the title of the book, you just need to keep the account and collect the money! Don't worry, we swear on the principles of the imperial examination that we will never show favoritism or misreport the title of the book!"

Shopkeeper Li choked, "Actually, I... can take care of it."

"Then we'll get you the books, just look at the cover!" The students were enthusiastic and switched roles effortlessly: "Hey - over there, go inside, don't block a bookshelf! You! Green hairband, I'm talking about you, don't touch the calligraphy and paintings on the wall! For those who need to pay, there is a price on the back of each book, take out the money in advance, don't hesitate and affect the people behind you, do you understand!"

His "management" really produced results.

"I understand!"

......

This was not the first time that Xu Zhubu came to learn from the principal wife.

He carried the tea box, turned left and right with ease, and pushed open the door of the principal's office.

The interior decoration has not changed in several years.

The bookshelf is still the same bookshelf, the potted plants are still the same potted plants, and even the rocking chair that has long been covered with starch is still swaying in the wind by the window.

"Teacher, everything here is still the same as before."

Xu Zhubu put down the tea box, took out the tea sets one by one and arranged them on the table.

The sunlight outlined the profile of his face. Zhou Hanjiang stood at the door and looked at him, with reminiscence in his eyes.

"If someone didn't know, they would think you were home, you seem so familiar with the place."

Xu Zhubu took a kettle to boil water and smiled, "It's mainly because I was scolded too much by you in the school. I still remember it clearly."

"How dare you bring it up!" Zhou Hanjiang was furious when he thought of the past. "I recommended you to study at Shangjing Academy, but you refused to go! Later, I finally got an opportunity to let you follow Lord Liu and learn a little, but you refused! You are so stubborn, what can I say about you! Do you know that Lord Liu is still unwilling to reply to my letter?"

At that time, Xu Yunyan really humiliated Lord Liu.

Xu Zhubu lowered his head, wiped the table with a handkerchief, and said in a light voice: "Lord Liu has been in office for several years, and his achievements are mediocre, not even as much as Lord Shen has made in a month."

Zhou Hanjiang was so angry that his teeth itched, "What if it wasn't Lord Shen who went to work in Tongan County? Would you have wasted your future like that? Yun Yan, I have always felt that you should take the exam and move up to a higher position..."

Xu Zhubu quietly put away the handkerchief and picked up the tongs to poke the charcoal.

"Even if Master Shen hadn't come to Tong'an County, I wouldn't have followed Master Liu."

"You just look down on him!" Zhou Hanjiang was so angry that he sat down on the chair. "He is a legitimate imperial examination candidate after all. Why do you look down on him?"

"I don't look down on Lord Liu." Xu Zhubu opened the cabinet and took out the tea. "It's just that Lord Liu and I are not the same kind of people. It's better for me to learn from you than from him."

These words clearly contained a hidden meaning of praise, but Zhou Hanjiang just couldn't feel happy.

What does... "not as good as" mean?