When he came to Middle Street and found a bookstore, Xie Qingshan hesitated outside the bookstore for a long time, looking at the scholars wearing Confucian clothes and straight clothes going in and out, and they were a little afraid to go in.

Xie Xuan couldn't quite understand his mood, after all, the bookstore was similar to other shops in the later generations, they were just open for business, and they were different from other businesses, but they were just a little more contaminated. What's more, she usually buys books online and orders them directly to her home, and later simply bought e-paper books, and she doesn't even need paper books......

Although it is not considerate, it is understandable, after all, in the ancient feudal society, the status of scholars has been raised to a very high height, and reading is not something that ordinary people can be qualified to do.

"Don't look at it, grandpa, open the door to do business, who can drive us out? Let's go inside! Xie Xuan said, pulling Xie Qingshan's rough big hand and going inside, Xie Zhiyuan and Xie Zhicheng followed behind with a smile.

Only Xie Wang thought in his heart, and shouted behind him: "Just go in, I and Ping'an are here to watch the mules and the cart!" ”

Entering the door, I saw a wooden counter in the hall, and behind the counter stood a hundred treasure pavilions, displaying many study utensils, pen and ink paper inkstones, pen washes, pen holders, ink inks, printing clay, paperweights, water drops, pen washes, arm rests, ink boxes, pen holders, dazzling. On the right side, there is a large Nanmu bookshelf on the wall, on which all kinds of books are neatly rested, two beech wood official hat chairs are placed on the left, and a square table is placed in the middle, all of which are carved with cloud and thunder patterns, and there is a landscape painting hanging on the wall behind the official hat chair.

Behind the counter, a man in his thirties took a blue and white pen and washed it on the Baibao Pavilion. On the chair on the left is sitting an old man wearing a half-worn indigo straight jacket, wearing a Haoran scarf, looking down to read a book, and there is a bowl of tea on the table next to him, and there are a few tea leaves floating in it.

"Uncle, my two elder brothers are going to school, can you recommend us some things we need to go to school?" Xie Xuan didn't have that feeling of being sincerely afraid of everything here, and when she saw the man behind the counter, she asked with a smile.

This sweet and crisp voice made the man behind the counter turn around, and the old man in the official hat chair also looked up at the group of them, and lowered his head to read again.

"For children who have just been enlightened, ordinary pen, ink, paper, and inkstones are suitable, and there is no need for those good ones. Ink and inkstone can be used with general tung ink and stone inkstone, just learn to write with hard hair, ordinary horse hair brush is enough, paper with ordinary Yuan book paper...... "The man in his thirties wore a Yuanqing robe, wearing a square flat scarf, raised his eyes to see Xie Qingshan and the three grandchildren were dressed, all of them were cotton coarse clothes, knowing that they were ordinary people, while saying while bowing his head and taking out two square stone inkstones and two inks from under the counter, and bowing his head and taking out a stack of thick paper and four large and small brushes, all of which were placed on the counter.

Xie Xuan tried to stand on tiptoe, picking up the counter to see the pen, ink, paper and inkstone on it, Xie Zhiyuan and Xie Zhicheng also went to the counter in the same way, and were knocked on the head by Xie Qingshan alone, and scolded them in a low voice to be honest.

Because inkstones and ink ingots are very rare in the daily life of later generations, Xie Xuan can't see the good, but feels that the inkstone is not as delicate and gorgeous as the one he once saw on the Internet, square and square, neither carved nor knowledgeable, and it looks a little rough. The ink ingot was not delicate and dark enough, and if you touched it carefully, you could still feel the fine particles on it. Even the Yuan book paper looks slightly yellow, egg yellow, and there are thin grass stalks on the paper, which is too different from the snow-white and delicate paper of later generations. The brush barrel is made of bamboo, and the shopkeeper said that it was a horsehair brush, and Xie Xuan couldn't tell anything.

"Enlightened books are Mengqiu, three-character scriptures, hundred family names, thousand-character texts, and thousands of poems, and there are generally no books in the school, do you buy government-run printed books, or hand-copied books?" The shopkeeper asked.

When it came to his grandson's study, Xie Qingshan asked respectfully, "May I ask sir, printed books and hand-copied books?" What's the difference? Which is better? ”

"The government-run printed books are all made by the government, the handwriting is clear, there are fewer errors and omissions, and the paper is better, but the price is also expensive; Handwritten books are cheap, but they may have omissions or illegible handwriting, but they are generally cost-effective. For example, for thousands of poems, a printed book costs six coins of silver, and a hand-copied book only costs four coins of silver. However, the manuscripts of out-of-print books are expensive......" The shopkeeper's words were stopped for a while, and he looked up at Xie Qingshan and his party, and consciously said that these were useless, so he stopped talking and asked, "What book does the old man want?" ”

It turns out that at this time, unlike in later generations, as long as the word "handmade" is hung on anything, the price will double. In later generations, the industry was developed, and the larger the production, the cheaper, while in ancient times, the labor cost was extremely cheap, but the industrial cost was more expensive than the labor. Just like buying a maid from a human tooth at this time is only five or six taels of silver, and a gold-carved stepping bed is seventy or eighty taels, which can buy more than a dozen maids.

"Grandpa, then buy the official printing, it's about my two elder brothers' reading, of course it's good to print!" Xie Xuan said quickly.

"That'...... Then let's take one of the enlightened books you just mentioned! Xie Qingshan thought the same way, so he said to the shopkeeper, and then he bowed his head and said to his two grandchildren: "Buy only one copy of the same, go back and read it together, if you learn to write, copy it yourself!" ”

"Got it, Grandpa!" Xie Zhiyuan and Xie Zhicheng saw that their grandfather's face was serious, so they hurriedly agreed.

The shopkeeper turned out from behind the counter, took out five books from the lower level of the bookcase on the right, put them on the counter, pulled them with an abacus, and kept reading: "Mengqiu, the three-character scripture, and the surname of the hundred families are all two dollars, four dollars for a thousand words, six dollars for a thousand poems, six dollars for stone inkstones, seven dollars and six points for ink ingots, four large and small brushes for seven dollars and four points, and a large stack of yuan books and paper for five dollars, a total of four taels and two dollars!" ”

Although Xie Xuan had already expected that the study room was not cheap, the price still surprised her a little. A long-term worker is not counted as a seasonal reward, and the ICBC is only five or six taels a year, and the four treasures of the study that are not very good are more than four taels, and the paper, ink ingots, and brushes are consumables, and they have to be bought again in a short time, no wonder ordinary poor families can't afford to read.

Xie Qingshan carefully took out five taels of silver from the pocket behind his elbow, picked out four taels and handed them to the shopkeeper.

Xie Xuan thought for a while, and said: "Grandpa, my brother Zhiyuan and Brother Zhicheng have just learned to write, and they must be writing crookedly. ”

The old man sitting on the official hat chair heard Xie Xuan speak, nodded, raised his head and looked at the Xie family carefully, and said slowly: "The little girl is knowledgeable, it is true, it is better to learn to write for beginners, or to copy Yan Zhenqing's "Duobao Pagoda Tablet", its regular script structure is square, the law is rigorous, strong and beautiful, and it is most suitable for beginners. ”

"I don't know what kind of pagoda stele this is...... How much? Xie Qingshan thanked the old man and asked the shopkeeper carefully.

"One, two, three."

Hearing this, Xie Qingshan took a light breath as if he had a toothache, then looked at the two ignorant grandchildren, gritted his teeth, took out more than one or two pieces of silver from his sleeve, carefully counted out one or two or three coins and handed it to the shopkeeper, "Then take a copy!" ”

The shopkeeper took the money and went to the bookshelf to get it.

"Gai Ming'er went to school in Liushutun, and she must study hard with her husband, don't just play tricks, your tuition fees this season plus the books in the study room are enough for our family to live for most of the year!" Xie Qingshan taught earnestly.

"Got it, Grandpa! I will definitely listen to him and study hard! Xie Zhiyuan said, and Xie Zhicheng also nodded busily.

At this time, the old man sitting on the official hat chair asked, "Are you going to go to school in Liushutun?" ”

"Mr. Hui's words are the study school of the Shen family in Liushutun." When Xie Qingshan asked, he didn't dare to slack off, so he hurriedly made a gesture and replied.

The old man nodded, "In that case, I'll mention these two children a few words." So, he called the two children to come forward and carefully instructed them with a straight face: "When you practice painting red at home, remember to read the post first, and then write, first look at the shape of the pen, remember the pen path, write in one stroke, and do not stop the pen halfway." You can also write in the air before practicing, and have a good idea of the weight, speed and slowness, start and end of the pen, and then write by heart, so that you can get twice the result with half the effort. Zhiyuan and Zhicheng, seeing that the old man wearing a Haoran scarf had a serious demeanor and a good temperament, he didn't feel a little submissive, and the old man's tone became more severe: "You have to write with your heart, don't just care about scribbling, just use your hands and don't care, where can you write well?" Remember? ”

"Remember!" Zhiyuan and Zhicheng agreed, but they didn't know who this person was and why they wanted to teach them a lesson, so they secretly looked up at him, and quickly lowered their heads.

Xie Xuan looked carefully at the old gentleman in an indigo shirt on the side, and had already realized something in his heart.

"Thank you, old man, for your advice!" Xie Qingshan bowed to the end, and rushed his two grandchildren forward to thank him.

After saying some words of thanks, Xie Qingshan took the books wrapped in oiled paper and paper, ink, pen and inkstone, and led his three grandchildren out of the shop.

On the way back, Xie Xuan said to her grandfather: "Grandpa, I guess the old gentleman who pointed out Brother Zhiyuan in the bookstore is probably the old Xiucai invited by the Shen family in Liushutun!" ”

When Xie Qingshan heard this, he was so panicked that he stumbled: "You Nizi, why didn't you say it earlier?" I also want Zhiyuan Zhicheng to come forward to salute! ”

"Grandpa, I'm guessing too! Besides, he didn't say anything about breaking the line, I want to ask him, I'm afraid he will be unhappy! Xie Xuan said, "But I think he is serious, but he is willing to mention Zhiyuan Zhicheng brother, he must be a good teacher who sincerely educates people!" ”

"Is that man the Master?" Zhicheng asked with some fear, "It looks so serious!" ”

"It's good to be serious, just to cure you monkey!" Xie Wang nodded his forehead and said with a smile.

"I heard that this gentleman taught well, and there were two talents under his hands! If only our family could show off their talents......" Xie Qingshan shook the whip in his hand briskly, turned his head to look at the two grandchildren, and couldn't help but smile on his face.