Chapter 26: The New Book Becomes a Sensation

Li Daqi had given his son a string of cash as pocket money for the trip to the county seat for the Children’s Examination. The money was kept at the inn, but Li Yanqing carried a small deerskin pouch at his side containing one hundred wen. The weight of the copper coins jingling against each other gave him a strong urge to spend them.

They had not gone far before they encountered a street vendor selling snacks. The four boys gathered around, and Li Yanqing offered to treat them, buying each a jiao-chui and a bean paste bun. Wrapped in rough paper, the total cost was twenty wen. The jiao-chui, similar to what would later be known as a sesame ball, was made of deep-fried glutinous rice flour, hollow inside and coated with caramelized sugar, costing three wen each. The bean paste buns were deep-fried and cost two wen each.

Li Yanqing also spotted his favorite syrup-coated flatbread, but as they were heading to a bookstore, he decided to pass, as sticky hands would be inconvenient.

As they walked and ate, looking around at everything, the snow crunched beneath their boots. Wang Gui and Tang Huai couldn't resist building a small snowman. Among the four, only Li Yanqing was visiting the county seat for the first time, and he was filled with curiosity about everything he saw.

Not far away, a group of children played in the snow, clapping their hands and singing a nursery rhyme:

"Tang Seng rides his horse, dong-da-dong,
Sun Wukong follows along.
Sun Wukong, he runs so fast,
Zhu Bajie follows at the last.
Zhu Bajie, with his nose so long,
Sha Heshang follows with a song.
Sha Heshang carries a load,
An old demoness appears on the road..."

A warmth spread through Li Yanqing’s heart, like a flame ignited by chance. This was a nursery rhyme he had added to the end of his new book, and he hadn't expected it to have already spread so widely.

Excited, Li Yanqing couldn't wait for the others and dashed forward. Wang Gui and the others chased after him, with Wang Gui cupping his hands to shout, "Brother Qing, turn left at the intersection ahead!"

After running about a mile, they turned a corner, and Wang Gui pointed ahead, "That’s it."

Li Yanqing saw it too. The street was lined with various shops, and the first one bore a large sign reading "Shilin Yuan." This was the place.

Arriving at the entrance, they saw a sign standing by the door with large, bold characters written on white paper: "Our new release, 'The Great Sage’s Record of Catching Demons,' is a massive bestseller!"

Li Yanqing and his friends excitedly entered the bookstore. A wave of warmth hit them, and they realized the hall was packed with people, ranging from learned scholars in deep-colored robes to young students from the county academy.

Wang Gui, anxious, dragged Tang Huai off to find the books he wanted, while Yue Fei grabbed a selection of Tang poetry and retreated to a corner.

Li Yanqing was more interested in the bookstore itself. He noticed that, like pharmacies, the layout had remained largely unchanged for centuries. Tall bookshelves lined both sides, with books categorized and placed horizontally rather than vertically. In the center stood long, wide tables covered with books. The floor was made of wood, and many people were sitting directly on it.

Just then, a strange voice called out from nearby, "The four little deer have arrived too!"

Li Yanqing turned to see a group of young students huddled to the left of the entrance. They were among those who had attended the Children’s Examination with them; four were from the Weinan Town Academy, and the other three appeared to be from the Tangbei Township Academy. It was clear they knew each other well.

Seeing that each of them held three or four copies of his book, *The Great Sage’s Record of Catching Demons*, Li Yanqing stepped forward and smiled, "I saw you all buy them at the county government office this morning, didn't I?"

A student from Weinan Town rolled his eyes and said, "Can’t we buy them for our friends? Don't be so surprised!"

Another tall student from Tangbei Township smiled kindly and said, "This book is selling like wildfire. If you want one, you’d better hurry, or don't come crying if they're sold out."

"Brother Qing, I got them!"

Wang Gui ran over excitedly, clutching four books. "I bought these; I'm giving one to each of you. I’ll go pay now and settle up later."

"Many thanks."

Li Yanqing’s gaze shifted, and he noticed that Tang Huai, following behind Wang Gui, was carrying a bundle of at least thirty books. He was stunned.

Wang Gui chuckled and whispered to Li Yanqing, "I’m buying them to make a profit. I make ten wen on each book, so the cost of the books will be covered."

Li Yanqing kicked him lightly. The boy was clever, but not quite sharp enough—there were over a hundred students at the academy; why not buy a hundred copies?

Realizing something, he looked back at the other students, who had already paid and left. Each of them was carrying three or four copies, likely planning to resell them as well.

"Brother Qing!" someone called from behind.

Li Yanqing turned to see Manager Luo walking over with a smile. Li Yanqing quickly stepped forward and bowed, "Manager Luo, long time no see."

"Your father mentioned a few days ago that you were coming for the Children’s Examination. I told him that if Lushan Town didn't send you, they wouldn't have had any hope this year."

"You are too kind, Manager Luo!"

Manager Luo warmly invited him, "Come! Let’s go upstairs and have some hot tea."

Li Yanqing turned to Wang Gui and Tang Huai, "I’m going up for a moment, I’ll be right back."

Wang Gui and Tang Huai were busy watching the clerk use scissors to trim their silver, fearing the clerk might use a sleight of hand to snip off extra. Too preoccupied to care, they waved him off.

Li Yanqing followed Manager Luo to a room on the second floor. After pouring him tea, the manager smiled, "I was planning to find you at the inn in the next day or two, but since you're here, that won't be necessary."

Li Yanqing remarked, "I didn't expect the book to be out so soon. I thought it wouldn't be until after the New Year!"

"The owner oversaw this personally. Eight printing houses worked on the woodblocks, finishing in five days. It was printed and bound at the main shop in Daming Prefecture and went on sale ten days ago. This is a record for Shilin Yuan; a typical book would take two months just to carve the blocks."

"It seems the book is selling well!" Li Yanqing laughed.

"Well? It's phenomenal!"

Manager Luo’s eyes crinkled with joy. "In just ten days, over five thousand copies have been sold in Daming Prefecture and Xiangzhou alone. Over five hundred have been sold here in Tangyin County, and that’s not counting today’s volume. I have to send someone to Daming Prefecture to order more; we have fewer than three hundred left. In my thirty years of selling books, this is the best-selling title I’ve ever seen. The owner certainly has an eye for talent!"

Li Yanqing quickly calculated in his head. According to their agreement, he would receive twenty percent of the revenue for sales over two thousand copies. With five thousand sold, that meant thirty thousand wen for him—and that was only from two prefectures in ten days.

Li Yanqing was secretly delighted. Then, remembering something important, he asked, "Is this book only sold at Shilin Yuan?"

"Of course not! We have dealings with many bookstores. For instance, the three major bookstores in Bianjing, as well as those in Hangzhou and Liangzhou—we have mutual interests. They sell our books, and we give them a share of ours. But don't worry, your commission will still be calculated as agreed."

Li Yanqing had promised his father he would only write three books, thinking they wouldn't sell this well. But at this rate, the first book alone would net him hundreds of strings of cash. It would be foolish to give up such an opportunity. He decided to ignore his father’s wishes and keep writing.

He then asked with a smile, "Why did you choose the name 'Lushan Xiaoxiaozhi'?"

"That was the name your father chose; we had no choice but to use it."

Li Yanqing frowned. "So it was my old man's idea—no wonder it’s so lackluster."

Manager Luo leaned in and lowered his voice, "Other bookstores are already trying to find out who the author is. Only I, the owner, your father, and you know the truth. Please, I beg you, don't let it slip—not even to your good friends."

"Don't worry! I won't go around bragging. Manager Luo, if the book continues to sell well, let's keep working together."

Manager Luo was overjoyed. He had been worrying about this very thing; the owner had scolded him severely for stopping at just three books for such a hot title. He knew Li Daqi was bent on having his son pursue a civil service career and would be hard to convince. That Li Yanqing had suggested it himself was a delightful surprise—the boy was much sharper than his father.

"But please, don't tell my father about this for now."

"Understood! Understood!" Manager Luo’s eyes turned into slits. The merchant’s nature was fully exposed—he couldn't let Li Daqi ruin such a lucrative deal.

Just then, Wang Gui called impatiently from downstairs. Li Yanqing rose to take his leave. Manager Luo gave him four copies of the book and urged him, "You must hurry with the next one. It would be best if I could get the manuscript after the New Year. If the gap is too long, it won't sell as well."

"I understand. I'll start writing as soon as I get back."

When Li Yanqing went downstairs, Wang Gui complained, "Why were you up there so long?"

Li Yanqing held up the books, "The manager gave them to me. You can keep those copies to sell!"

Wang Gui and Tang Huai were overjoyed. What was originally a three-hundred-wen profit was now five hundred. "We’ll count you in; we’ll give you one hundred and fifty wen later."

The three of them grabbed Yue Fei and headed back to the inn, happy and satisfied.