"Tiannan Haibei is suitable for all ages to be in the cup, and to stay in the Fortune and Prosperity Pavilion from east to west." The shopkeeper read it twice, and then praised: "Well, the writing is good, the writing is good, especially the two words of Xianheng in our hotel are embedded in it." ”

In fact, Tang Ning originally wanted to use the couplet hanging on the central pillar of the Xianheng Hotel in reality, "The small shop is famous, and the old wine is intoxicating", but after thinking about it, although this couplet is very famous (made by Mr. Li Zhun, the screenwriter of "Li Shuangshuang" and "Wrangler"), but after removing the author's halo in this era, it seems a little ordinary, so he pondered for a long time and made up such a couplet that embeds the word Xianheng into it.

Seeing that the shopkeeper was very satisfied, Tang Ning leaned over and said proudly, "How is it?" Shopkeeper, are you satisfied with this couplet? ”

The shopkeeper nodded reservedly and said, "Well, it's okay." And with this couplet, thy nineteen denarii shall be wiped out. As he spoke, he instructed the young man to wipe off the hole on the board. Then he said to Kong Yiji: "Don't bother the two masters, you can write this couplet for me again, and then I will post it outside tomorrow." ”

Unexpectedly, Tang Ning waved his hand and said: "Wait a minute, wait a minute, shopkeeper, don't worry, this code is one yard." The nineteen dollars were paid for couplets, and if you want me to write out this couplet again, I'm sorry, I'll have to charge for it. Well, I don't want much, just compare the price just now, and you can give me another nineteen dollars. ”

Hearing Kong Yiji say this, the shopkeeper suddenly became furious: "Okay, you Kong Yiji, you really take yourself as a character, right?" Just erasing the debt of nineteen dollars for you is enough to give you face, and now you dare to ask me for another money if you write a couplet! This is only more than 20 words in total, you dare to ask me for nearly 40 dollars, you usually copy ten pages of books for others and can't give you so much, right? Are you bullying me for talking? ”

"Don't be angry, shopkeeper, this copying is not the same thing as writing couplets. The copy only needs to be in small letters, and to write a couplet hanging at the door, it has to be written in large characters, which consumes much more effort and energy. It's not me bragging, you will never find a second person in Quanlu Town who can write this couplet for only nineteen dollars.

Moreover, copying books does not require me to use my brain, and it took me three days to make up this couplet, is it not worth nineteen dollars for three days? Kong Yiji explained slowly.

The shopkeeper's mind pondered, but also, to say that in this Lu Town, there is really no one who is better than Kong Yiji's calligraphy, and it is said that even the characters of Na Ding Juren are not as good as him, and nineteen dollars is actually not much. What's more, I have already spent nineteen dollars to buy this couplet just now, if I don't write it out and post it, wouldn't it be in vain?

Seeing the hesitation of the shopkeeper, Tang Ning struck while the iron was hot and said: "Shopkeeper, otherwise, I will take a step back, and follow the method just now, you don't have to give me cash for these nineteen dollars, just record it in your account, and when I come to eat and drink in the future, I will take this account, when will it be finished, do you think this will be done?" ”

Hearing Kong Yiji say this, the shopkeeper was even more moved, the reason was actually the same as just now, because in fact, what he needed to spend was not nineteen dollars, and the cost was ten dollars, so he nodded and said: "Okay, this time I will suffer a loss, and I will talk to you about things in the future, I have to be long-sighted and negotiate everything in advance." ”

Then he said a little strangely: "Kong Yiji, I really feel that you seem to be a different person, and I feel that you seem to be more suitable for business than me now." ”

Tang Ning said in his heart, in 2017, he has seen a lot of various business routines, even if he is not a businessman, he knows a little bit. However, on the surface, he said modestly: "Shopkeeper, looking at what you said, how can I compare with the big connoisseurs who have been trading for decades." I'm just crazy and scared, so I don't want to let go of any place where I can make a little money.

To tell you the truth, I'm not afraid of your jokes, I only have three big dollars left in my pocket, and if I don't find a solution, I'll starve to death tomorrow. As he spoke, he turned his pocket through the whole thing, and sure enough, there were only three big coins in it.

Seeing these three big money, and then looking at Kong Yiji's tattered robe and thin and unhealthy face, the shopkeeper couldn't help but feel compassion, and asked the young man to go to the back kitchen to take a few steamed buns and hand them to him: "Speaking of which, you are also pitiful, a good scholar has fallen to such a point." Hey, I can't help you anywhere else, you can take these steamed buns. Also, in the future, I will drink less alcohol here, and the money I save can eat steamed buns for a few more days. Tang Ning hurriedly thanked him and took the steamed bun, and then couldn't help but feel warm in his heart.

The next day, Xianheng Restaurant pasted this couplet inscribed by Kong Yiji. And Kong Yiji also seized this great opportunity, using Xianheng Restaurant as a model, to the various stores in the town to promote couplets, fortunately, Tang Ning himself is a couplet lover, with a lot of industry couplets in his mind, according to the characteristics of each store to write, basically all of them are marketed, and each copy is compared with the price code of Xianheng Hotel, and a total of 38 big money is written on behalf of the compiler.

Especially the one he wrote in the drug shop, "I hope that people in the world are disease-free, and I would rather put medicine on the shelf and produce dust". The old shopkeeper of the pharmacy on the spot was moved by the compassionate feelings of the doctor in the couplet, and read it again and again for a long time, and then waved his hand and rewarded Tang Ning with 100 yuan on the spot as a thank you.

In short, after such a turn, although Tang Ning did not completely change Kong Yiji's fate, as long as he saved a little, he would definitely eat and drink for at least three months.

What surprised him even more was that one day when he was drinking slowly at the Xianheng Hotel, he suddenly heard a quarrel outside the door.

I only heard one man shouting angrily at another man: "Zhang San, if you don't want you to join the foreign sect, I won't dare to touch you, if you don't pay back today, I will break your legs!" ”

And another man called Zhang San was obviously a scoundrel, and I saw him say with a hippie smile: "I told you that Li Si and Lao Tzu won't pay back the money today, if you dare to move a finger from me, I will go to Lord Yang to complain, and let him find the county master to arrest you in prison!" ”

Hearing this, Tang Ning couldn't help but shout: "It's done, both tasks are done!" ”