It's hard for my elder sister. I rely on the mountains to farm and pay off my debts.

"How much does this mulberry paper cost?"

The shopkeeper immediately explained, "This kind of paper is one hundred coins more expensive than the jute paper we just bought. It costs four hundred coins per piece."

Song Zhi didn't express her opinion. She reached out and took a piece of paper with a more uniform and fine texture and asked, "How much is this paper, shopkeeper?"

The shopkeeper's smile widened as he introduced the paper: "This kind of paper costs one ounce and eight cents of silver per cut. It's the best paper we have in our shop!"

Song Zhi was surprised and subconsciously said, "This is too expensive!"

No wonder ordinary people have to mobilize the entire family, or even the entire clan, to support a scholar.

Not to mention the tuition, even the cost of this money is not something an average family can afford.

At that time, a person's daily wage was only fifteen cents, and he didn't spend a penny. After working hard for a month, he could only afford half a knife of paper, and that was the cheapest kind.

This made Song Zhi sigh in her heart.

The shopkeeper wanted to explain, "My dear lady, this paper is the best paper we have in our shop. We're not deliberately charging a high price. This kind of paper is priced like this on the market!"

"The main reason is that this kind of paper is very complicated to make. It takes half a year from selecting the materials to making the paper. Isn't it expensive?"

She was simply lamenting the difficulty ordinary students faced in pursuing their studies, and she didn't intend to compete with the shopkeeper.

Song Zhi nodded and said, "Then please give me one piece of mulberry paper and one piece of hemp paper."

"Okay, I'll help you pack it later." After saying that, he started moving quickly.

After a while, the shopkeeper placed two kinds of paper on the counter. Seeing Song Zhi looking at the brush on the pen holder, he couldn't help but ask, "Madam, do you want to buy another brush?"

Song Zhi nodded. "Boss, I see these brushes have different lengths of nibs, but what's the difference?"

When asked about this, the shopkeeper readily replied, "Based on the materials used, these pens are divided into wolf hair, sheep hair, and mixed hair!"

"Based on the model, there are short, medium, and long nibs. The size of the nib basically determines the size range of the writing."

"Generally speaking, brushes with small tips are only suitable for writing small characters. They can also write large characters, but it takes more time to write the brush. However, large brushes can be used to write small characters, but it really depends on your individual skills!"

"The caliber is the diameter of the pen. The size of the caliber should be selected according to personal habits!"

"For beginners, I generally recommend a wolf brush or a mixed brush. Wool brushes are softer and require a lot of ink refills, so they're not suitable for beginners."

Shopkeeper Lu’s introduction was very detailed, and Song Zhi knew which brush she should choose as soon as she heard it.

Song Zhi selected two small-tipped brushes and handed them to the shopkeeper. "Shopkeeper, I want these two brushes. How much are they?"

"This kind of pen costs fifty-two coins each, and two will cost you one hundred coins!"

Seeing that Song Zhi bought paper and pens, the shopkeeper took the opportunity to sell inkstones and ink sticks.

There are many kinds of ink sticks and inkstones, and the prices range from three hundred coins to one or two taels of silver.

Song Zhi was not a scholar who pursued elegance and refinement. He only asked the shopkeeper to recommend an ink stick suitable for beginners. As for the inkstone, he had no requirements as long as it could be used.

The shopkeeper was also a business man. After listening to Song Zhi's request, he took out a small ink stick weighing one or two taels and a She inkstone.

"Sir, you chose a brush with a smaller tip, so you won't need much ink. This small stick of ink will last you a long time, and it's not expensive, only three hundred coins."

Seeing that the other party did not recommend anything expensive to her, Song Zhi gladly accepted it.

The shopkeeper was very happy. He packed up the things and put them on the counter. After counting them up, he said to Song Zhi with a smile on his face, "Sir, these are one tael and one qian of silver in total!"

Song Zhi bargained deliberately, "Boss, I'll come here to buy next time. How about giving me a discount and charging me one ounce?"

The shopkeeper was immediately embarrassed when he heard this: "Oh, we are a small business and can't afford such a price reduction."

"How about this? I'll give you another brush. If you find it useful, please support our business next time!"

Even though she couldn't pay the price, she got an extra pen, which was also a good thing. Song Zhi paid the money readily.

After putting the pen, ink, paper and inkstone into the basket she carried with her, Song Zhi walked out of Moxiangzhai.

As soon as she stopped at the door of the bookstore, she saw the three eldest brothers walking towards her not far away.

Song Zhi immediately stepped forward.