Chapter 262 – A Win-Win Business
Jiang Pengji wasn’t exactly a studious student, but she held great respect and awe for those in the education field.
Throughout history, humanity has faced numerous rises and falls, yet despite the most brutal wars, they have always managed to rebuild civilization from the ashes at lightning speed. Apart from humanity’s strong survival resilience, another reason is the protection of civilization.
The seeds of civilization still exist; they will eventually bloom into the most dazzling flowers atop the ruins.
Cheng Cheng’s aspirations naturally gained Jiang Pengji’s respect and admiration.
Civilization has never been exclusive to a single family; it’s a unique wealth of the human race.
Although Cheng Cheng didn’t think that deeply or far, his thoughts were unconventional, and he didn’t just focus on the present but also contemplated the transmission of civilization. Just based on this, he was leagues ahead of most pompous families today.
Jiang Pengji contemplated and playfully asked, “I wonder if Uncle Cheng would be willing to part with a few books for my nephew to transcribe?”
Noble families treat their books as lifelines; they rarely lend them out unless they’re on good terms, let alone allow others to copy them.
Cheng Cheng was quite generous, but he was a bit childish, so he chuckled and replied, “Well, it’s fine, but you’ll have to trade something in return.” He gently stroked his neatly trimmed beard and continued, “Bamboo slips are prone to moisture, heavy, and not easy to preserve. There are always some slips that get eaten by bugs, and it pains my heart. I’ve heard that paper from Hejian is worth its weight in gold. If we use bamboo paper for writing, it would be lightweight and easy to preserve… I heard that workshop was part of your mother’s dowry?”
Inside the carriage, Cheng Cheng’s wife almost bit her silver teeth in anger upon hearing her husband’s nonsense.
“Lan Ting, don’t listen to what this man is saying; those precious items of his aren’t worth much at all,” Cheng Cheng’s wife bluntly revealed her husband’s secret and angrily added, “If you like any book, just tell your aunt; you don’t need to listen to your Uncle Cheng’s words.”
Cheng Cheng’s old face turned red, and he secretly wished to beg his wife for mercy, at least saving some face in front of the younger generation.
Seeing the couple’s interaction, Jiang Pengji couldn’t help but laugh silently.
“The paper workshop is indeed part of my mother’s dowry, but the amount of paper produced each year is limited, and most of it is already reserved for families. If Uncle Cheng likes it, my nephew can ask the steward to set aside a few sheets to send to your home…”
Upon hearing this, Cheng Cheng’s expression turned serious, and he quickly explained.
“Lan Ting misunderstood; no matter how unorthodox your uncle is, he still cares about his face. How could he take advantage of a junior? What I meant was, if you take these books home to transcribe, it would be nice if you could help your uncle with a copy too, and the cost of paper and ink would be calculated at market price. There are so many bamboo slips, and your uncle is getting older. I don’t know how much longer I can take care of them.”
Bamboo slips, aside from being heavy, are quite difficult to preserve. They require a specific storage environment; otherwise, they become moldy or worm-eaten.
Each of those tens of thousands of bamboo slips has been rebound numerous times due to dampness and mold, and their inscriptions becoming illegible.
When transcribing, mistakes and omissions are inevitable. To ensure the content of the books is correct, he needs to check them over and over again, then have a few sons help proofread, and only after confirming accuracy can they be rebound again. The project is quite labor-intensive.
Since the advent of bamboo paper, he has thought about replacing bamboo slips with it.
However, the paper workshop’s scale has yet to expand, and almost all the produced paper is monopolized by several aristocratic families, making it impossible for him to place an order.
That’s quite frustrating.
Jiang Pengji’s eyes shifted, and she replied playfully, “My handwriting isn’t anything to show off; it’s okay for me to see, but bringing it before Uncle would be embarrassing, wouldn’t it? How about this: I provide the ink, paper, and brush, and Uncle could transcribe one more copy for me? The ink and paper are on me, consider it a little fee for you…”
Cheng Cheng was momentarily left speechless, his brain nearly failing to process her words.
Before Jiang Pengji could finish, a fragrant pouch flew towards her head. She raised her hand to catch it, just in time to avoid disaster.
“Rude! How could your uncle, such a remarkable person, be the subject of such a joke?”
Liu Zhi’s face was cold, and that pouch was tossed by him.
Cheng Cheng quickly stopped his teasing and joked to Liu Zhi, “Why are you upset, Zhongqing? Is it because your son made a losing deal?”
Even though Cheng Cheng regularly ignored household matters, he still knew how expensive bamboo paper from Hejian was.
To get through those tens of thousands of bamboo slips would consume a small fortune in bamboo paper.
Certainly, many of those bamboo slips were unique classics, so their value isn’t low.
Liu Zhi said, “Wen Fu has misunderstood; bamboo paper is expensive for external use, but it costs hardly anything for family. This kid has been strange today, thinking of swapping a bit of paper for a treasure trove of books. This kind of unscrupulous business is unheard of.”
Cheng Cheng laughed heartily, stroking his beard as he said to Jiang Pengji, “A tiger father has no dog son; you have your father’s style.”
Liu Zhi: “…”
He believed Cheng Cheng was quite skilled in scolding; earlier, he said Jiang Pengji was a greedy merchant, yet Cheng Cheng turned around and mocked him, implying he was even greedier.
Seriously… who’s really the father and daughter here?
Seeing Cheng Cheng and his daughter standing on the same side, Liu Zhi suddenly felt out of place.
His heart was so tired.
For Jiang Pengji’s half-joking comment, Cheng Cheng found it quite enjoyable.
“Alright, my nephew, as long as you provide enough bamboo paper, Uncle will send you a copy once I’ve finished transcribing. This fee for your service is quite worth it.”
Jiang Pengji’s face flushed slightly, feeling a tad shy inside.
To outsiders, bamboo paper was incredibly expensive, but for family, it was practically worthless.
Exchanging just a bit of paper for tens of thousands of precious books was simply a deal too good to be true, and even Jiang Pengji felt a bit shameless… yet Cheng Cheng agreed so generously without a trace of displeasure, which touched her deeply.
In truth, Cheng Cheng felt a bit embarrassed as well, feeling like he took a huge advantage of the younger generation.
He wasn’t one to cherish things overly; he valued those books, but if others wanted to borrow or transcribe them, he was willing to agree without hesitation.
After all, to transcribe one more copy in exchange for countless precious bamboo papers and no longer having to worry about preserving the books solved a lot of problems, making it seem like both sides were taking a hit, but from another angle, they both stood to gain.
Perhaps some values can’t be measured by gold and silver.
“Thank you, Uncle; I will definitely cherish it well.”
Cheng Cheng smiled as he stroked his beard. For a booklover, nothing could please him more than this promise.
