The whole family traveled through time, and the best people were actually doing involution in ancien

Shen Mingzhu and Su left Jinxiufang with Li Sanniang's warm farewell. Shen Mingzhu sighed and said, "The price of the embroidered handkerchiefs here is too low!"

Su gently scratched Shen Mingzhu's nose and said with a smile:

"30 wen a piece is still low! Ten embroidered handkerchiefs were sold for 300 wen, which is quite high in this era."

Shen Mingzhu was not convinced:

"But, with my mother's skills, I only got 300 copper coins for embroidering ten handkerchiefs. It's really too low!"

Shen Mingzhu found it hard to accept. In modern times, the handkerchiefs embroidered by her mother could be sold for at least 2 yuan each, but here it was only 30 cents.

Su smiled and said, "Don't compare the prices here with those of today. There are many reasons why my handkerchiefs sell for a high price today. First, my embroidery rarely circulates on the market; second, my social status was different at that time; third, there are very few real handicrafts today, and here, the least valuable thing is the labor."

"These ten handkerchiefs are made of coarse rags, with few colors of embroidery thread and the worst thread. Li Sanniang paid 300 coins for my craftsmanship. Even if my embroidery skills are good, no one would buy them because the quality of the handkerchiefs is too poor."

Shen Mingzhu thought about it and it was true. Even if the embroidery was good, a rich lady would not buy an embroidered handkerchief made of coarse cloth for the sake of her status. The poor and ordinary people would not buy an embroidered handkerchief that cost more than 30 wen.

Shen Mingzhu agreed, "Mom, after you finish embroidering Miss Li's wedding dress, you can take on some high-end embroidery work, or you can sell your embroidery in my exchange space in the future. The purchase price is much higher than here."

Su also agreed with Shen Mingzhu's words. She embroidered not just to make money, but to practice her embroidery skills and not let her hands become rusty.

The mother and daughter arrived at the bookstore and saw a group of scholars in long robes gathered in the lobby, so they walked in curiously.

"Mom, wait here, I'll go in and see what's going on."

Women of this era valued fame and reputation the most, and bookstores were full of men, so it would be troublesome if her mother was offended by a man.

Shen Mingzhu squeezed into the crowd and saw a man painting in front of a large wooden table. The tall, handsome man in coarse linen clothes was her father, Shen Laosan.

Shen Mingzhu arrived late, and after a while, a painting appeared in front of everyone.

When the painting was finished, people around Shen Mingzhu gasped. Then, a middle-aged man in a robe came forward, looked at the landscape painting on the table as if it were a treasure, and said in surprise:

"Wonderful, wonderful! This painting is painted with light ink, and the landscape begins to appear. The brush strokes are like dragons and snakes, and the artistic conception is profound. The blank spaces are full of infinite meaning!"

"Yes! In this painting, the mountains and rivers seem to be given life. The peaks are either tall and steep, like swords pointing to the sky, showing unyielding pride; or gentle and soft, like a dancing veil, revealing the tenderness of the Jiangnan water town."

"The brook flows gently, winding around rocks, through forests and valleys, bringing coolness and vitality, and merging into rivers, lakes and seas, symbolizing the flow of time and the cycle of life. The lush trees and lingering clouds and mist not only add a sense of layering to the picture, but also create a sense of fairyland beyond the world. It is really a top-notch masterpiece!"

"The most ingenious part of this painting is the clever use of blank space. Blank space is not empty, but gives the viewer unlimited imagination. It can be the haziness of the dawn, or the afterglow of the setting sun; it can be a valley in the mountains, or a tranquil lake. It's really wonderful!"

The scholars around came to the wooden table to watch, and kept exclaiming in admiration.

Shen Mingzhu watched all this, met Shen Laosan's gaze, and gave him a thumbs up.

Her father is really amazing. He is good at calligraphy and the Four Books and Five Classics.

Shen Lao San was interacting with his daughter when he heard a scholar ask:

"I don't know how to address you, sir? Your paintings are so wonderful. I am Tang Ren, a student of Bailu Academy. I really like your paintings. I am willing to buy your paintings for 100 taels of silver. I wonder if you will give them up?"

Tang Ren was very humble and had no intention of looking down on Shen Lao San.

He wanted to buy this painting for two reasons. The first reason was that he liked this painting so much. The second reason was that Shen Laosan's dress did not look like a student or a scholar from a wealthy family, so he wanted to spend a high price to buy this painting and make friends with Shen Laosan.

Why is it considered a high price to buy Shen Laosan's paintings for one hundred taels of silver?

There are two reasons. The first reason is that Shen Laosan is not a famous painter. A famous painter can sell a fish or two shrimps at a high price.

The second reason is that Shen Laosan is so young and still alive.

Those who understand will understand that paintings by an unknown and unknown painter who is still alive are not worth much. But if he dies, his paintings may suddenly be copied and sold at sky-high prices.

The students around him all took a deep breath. One hundred taels of silver! Tang Ren spent one hundred taels of silver to buy a painting that was not famous. However, this painting was really well done!

Shen Laosan saw that Tang Ren really wanted to buy his paintings. He was not a pedantic person, so he made an agreement with the shopkeeper that if his paintings were good, he could make paintings and sell them in the shop in the future. If they were not good, the shopkeeper would not buy them.

It was such an unexpected surprise. He originally thought that his paintings would be good if they could be sold for 10 taels of silver, but he didn't expect that someone would be willing to spend 100 taels of silver to buy them.

This is really great news!

Shen Lao San returned the greeting to Tang Ren and said, "Thank you for your courtesy, Brother Tang. My name is Shen Ruhai, and I am honored that my painting today has been liked by Brother Tang."

"Wait." Before Shen Lao San finished speaking, he was interrupted by the shopkeeper.

The bookstore owner, the middle-aged man who had been standing by the wooden table and watching Shen Lao San painting, said to Tang Ren,

"Mr. Tang, please wait a moment." Then he said to Mr. Shen, "Mr. Shen, we have already agreed that you will sell this painting to our bookstore. Please don't break your promise, Mr. Shen."

Shen Lao San did not hesitate and bowed to Tang Ren again, saying:

"Thank you, Mr. Tang, for your love for my paintings. I have already agreed with the shopkeeper that all my paintings will be sold at Sanwei Bookstore in the future. If you really like them, you can come to Sanwei Bookstore to buy them."

Tang Ren nodded in understanding and said with a smile, "Brother Shen is very righteous. I admire you." He turned to the shopkeeper and asked, "Shopkeeper, can I sell this painting to Tang?"