Transmigrated as a Cannon Fodder Wife A in Ancient Times - Chapter 56

Chapter 56

Wei Lan ate a meal and returned to the bookshop to start the afternoon signing. As soon as she arrived, she noticed a long queue already formed. Leading the line, sitting on chairs, were Lu Shihua and her friends.

They hadn’t gone home for lunch but ate at a nearby restaurant and came back early to queue. Qu Qiushui initially felt uneasy about letting Lu Shihua wait, suggesting a servant take her place until Wei Lan returned, considering she was the City Lord’s daughter and deserved some courtesy.

But Lu Shihua insisted she wanted to queue herself, refusing substitutes. She and her friends aimed to be the first to support the afternoon signing.

However, they didn’t expect many others shared their idea. Soon, the queue grew longer and longer.

When Wei Lan, Xi Ye, and Siyun returned, Wei Lan saw two long lines stretching nearly to the entrance.

Wei Lan pursed her lips, deciding it was time to stop, or her hand would break.

She beckoned Xi Ye and instructed, “Tell the shopkeeper to stop letting signing participants in. These people inside should keep us busy until the afternoon.”

“Yes, Master,” Xi Ye replied, carrying her large ringed sword to find Qu Qiushui. Qu Qiushui, prepared, had a sign made stating the signing slots were full. She sent servants to the entrance to explain to those still wanting to join.

Meanwhile, Wei Lan and Siyun reached the table. As Wei Lan walked over, a stir rippled through the crowd, with people in the queue discussing her.

Wei Lan smiled and sat down, looking at Lu Shihua. “So early? Did you wait long?”

“Not too long. We ate lunch and came over. More people kept arriving,” Lu Shihua said happily.

“Hmm, which volumes do you want this afternoon?” Wei Lan asked.

“Can I get ten copies of each?” Lu Shihua said, her face reddening, wanting to chat longer with Wei Lan.

“Of course. I’ll write whatever then,” Wei Lan said, asking Siyun to prepare the books and starting to sign.

“Besides this series, do you have other storybooks for sale?” Lu Shihua asked, a question she’d wanted to pose for a while.

“Not at the moment. Writing these is just a hobby in my spare time. I have other things to do daily,” Wei Lan replied with a smile.

“Oh? Do you manage business too?” Lu Shihua asked, disappointed there were no other storybooks.

“No, my wife handles business matters. I usually enjoy carving jade,” Wei Lan explained.

Lu Shihua was shocked, surprised Wei Lan’s hobby resembled her father’s. He loved collecting jade carvings. “Really? That’s a coincidence. My father collects all kinds of jade carvings. If there’s a chance, I can take you to see them.”

“Thank you,” Wei Lan said with a faint smile, assuming the girl was just being polite. She didn’t take it seriously. After all, she’d seen every fine jade carving, and Panyang City’s artisans weren’t as skilled as her.

“Do you go out much? Or do you have other hobbies?” Lu Shihua continued.

“If I have nothing to do, I don’t go out much. Isn’t staying in my courtyard better than outside?” Wei Lan said, signing while chatting with Lu Shihua.

Lu Shihua recalled old gossip and couldn’t resist asking, “Does your wife dislike you going out?”

She had heard rumors that Lu Zijin and Wei Lan’s relationship was poor, with Wei Lan merely a decorative consort in the Lu Mansion.

Wei Lan laughed, amused by the question. “Not at all. She treats me well and supports whatever I want to do.”

When Wei Lan mentioned Lu Zijin, her expression softened noticeably. “We have a great relationship. Don’t believe those street rumors.”

“Sorry,” Lu Shihua said, noticing Wei Lan’s expression when talking about Lu Zijin. Their relationship seemed genuinely good.

Lu Shihua chatted with Wei Lan for a while, discussing favorite foods and other topics, until all thirty books were signed. She stood but stayed nearby, waiting for her friends.

Her friends, all wealthy, ordered at least ten copies each. Wei Lan’s hand was practically sparking from writing, but she still made conversation. The girls’ topics were varied, but Wei Lan could discuss anything with them, keeping it engaging.

Many afternoon attendees had come in the morning too, often buying multiple copies, so Wei Lan’s workload was heavier than the morning’s. Soon, it was Zhou Yufu’s turn.

Seeing Zhou Yufu, Wei Lan sighed in relief. This woman wasn’t here for her, but Xi Ye, beside her, gasped.

Zhou Yufu smiled at Wei Lan politely. “I love your storybooks, so I want to collect them. Give me thirty copies of each volume.”

Wei Lan gave an awkward smile. This woman clearly wasn’t here for the books but had her eye on her handsome guard.

Wei Lan focused on signing, glancing up to see Zhou Yufu smiling at Xi Ye. Good, she wasn’t here for Wei Lan, so no awkward chatting needed.

Xi Ye, stared at by Zhou Yufu, started sweating. She tugged Wei Lan’s sleeve in fear, hoping her master would save her.

Wei Lan winked, pretending not to notice, and continued signing.

“What does the little Qianyuan do daily? Want to go on a countryside outing with me? The weather’s nice these days,” Zhou Yufu asked, smiling.

Xi Ye quickly refused. “Oh, no, I don’t like going out much. I’m the master’s personal guard and need to protect her.”

“Wow, so responsible,” Zhou Yufu said, as if remembering something. She had a maid bring a brocade box.

Zhou Yufu opened it, revealing four boxes of high-end rouge in beautiful containers, clearly expensive.

She presented the box to Xi Ye. “Little Qianyuan, this is for you. These are the most popular rouges. Try them and see which you like.”

“No need. I don’t use these, and it’s too costly,” Xi Ye said honestly. In the Northern Desert, she had no use for such things, often returning to camp dusty and too tired to wash, let alone dress up.

“You’re good-looking, and this will make you even prettier. What, don’t know how to apply it? Want your sister to teach you?” Zhou Yufu said, her fox-like eyes twinkling. Xi Ye’s cheeks burned red.

“No, no need,” Xi Ye said, avoiding Zhou Yufu’s gaze. She tugged Wei Lan’s sleeve, wishing her master would write faster. She couldn’t hold on.

Wei Lan signed at a leisurely pace. She hadn’t complained about witnessing their flirtation. “Almost done. You two chat a bit more.”

Wei Lan said, continuing to sign the books.

“If I don’t teach you, at least take it, okay? Or your sister will be sad when she goes home,” Zhou Yufu said, insistent.

Xi Ye was sweating, afraid Zhou Yufu would keep pressing. She said, “Then I’ll take it.”

“That’s right. The little Qianyuan is so cute,” Zhou Yufu said, smiling warmly.

She chatted with Xi Ye for a while longer. Wei Lan took over half an hour to finish signing.

Many people were still waiting, and Wei Lan politely continued signing. By around four in the afternoon, all the books sold out. Wei Lan gave a bookmark to those who didn’t get a book as consolation.

Meanwhile, Chen’s Bookshop had no customers all day. Everyone was drawn to the Lu Family Bookshop. Their business worsened daily; what used to be a day’s revenue now took ten days or half a month. The clerks feared layoffs.

“Shopkeeper, what do we do? Our business is stolen,” a clerk said.

“What can we do? Wait for the young master to recover and think of something,” the shopkeeper said helplessly.

At the Chen Mansion, after several rituals, Chen Zhou’s mental state improved slightly. But he still didn’t dare sleep alone at night, so two simple single beds were set up in his room for two servants to accompany him.

Chen Zhou sat at his study’s desk. He hadn’t managed mansion affairs for many days. Feeling slightly better today, he summoned the head shopkeeper of Chen’s Bookshop to inquire about recent business.

The shopkeeper trembled as he entered the Chen Mansion, unprepared for Chen Zhou’s sudden summons.

When he reached Chen Zhou’s bedroom, Chen Zhou sat behind the desk, with two servants standing guard.

The shopkeeper quickly bowed to Chen Zhou. “Young Master, are you feeling better?”

Chen Zhou’s face was still pale but he nodded. “Better. How’s the shop’s business lately?”

Hearing this, the shopkeeper didn’t dare look up, scared. “It’s not good.”

Chen Zhou frowned and asked, “Hasn’t Liu Wenyuan’s new storybook been copied yet? Why is it not good?”

“The Lu Family Bookshop stole our business. They started selling storybooks too. Today, Wei Lan held a signing at their main branch. Most people went there, and few came to buy our storybooks,” the shopkeeper said cautiously.

Chen Zhou was stunned for a moment. “Wei Lan? Since when did she manage the Lu Mansion’s business? And aren’t all the good storybook writers in Panyang City with us? When did the Lu Mansion get someone who can write storybooks?”

“The storybooks at the Lu Family Bookshop were written by Wei Lan herself. They copy them quickly, selling hundreds at once, stealing all our customers,” the shopkeeper explained hurriedly.

“Wei Lan? How’s that possible? A mere consort of the Lu Mansion with such talent? Send someone to buy a set of her storybooks. I want to see what she’s capable of,” Chen Zhou said, his already pale face turning even whiter.

“Yes, I’ll send someone to buy them tomorrow,” the shopkeeper replied quickly.

Chen Zhou thought for a moment and asked coldly, “What about the other books? The ones for the imperial exams should sell, right?”

“No one buys those either. The Lu Family Bookshop lowered the price of the Four Books and Five Classics to six hundred wen each. Students buy cheap books there. Our Four Books haven’t sold in a long time,” the shopkeeper said, sweating and avoiding Chen Zhou’s eyes.

Chen Zhou was thoroughly enraged by these words. “What? They lowered prices to six hundred wen, and Wei Lan wrote storybooks? The Lu Mansion is deliberately targeting me.”

He glared coldly at the shopkeeper and questioned, “Why didn’t you report such important matters earlier?”

“You were unwell recently, so I told Madam. She instructed us to wait until you recovered before informing you,” the shopkeeper said, sweating profusely.

“You ruined my plans. Send someone to monitor the Lu Family Bookshop closely. I want to know what they’re up to,” Chen Zhou said coldly.

As if remembering something, Chen Zhou asked, “Also, what’s this signing you mentioned?”

“Today, Wei Lan sold storybooks at their shop and signed the title pages in person. Many people went to support her. Participants had to buy books, and they sold each for five taels of silver. Even so, people queued up,” the shopkeeper said, having sent someone to investigate the Lu Family Bookshop’s situation due to their lack of business.

Chen Zhou’s face darkened. “A signing? Interesting. If they can do it, so can we. We have more writers. Call the shopkeepers from all branches tomorrow morning. We’ll plan our own signing.”

“Yes, Young Master,” the shopkeeper said, relieved Chen Zhou didn’t blame him, bowing quickly.

Chen Zhou pinched his brow and waved for the shopkeeper to leave.

He gritted his teeth and muttered, “Wei Lan, I’ll make you pay.”

With others in the room, Chen Zhou didn’t want the servants to see him lose composure or break down, so he restrained the urge to smash things.

He took several deep breaths to calm down. He had recovered slightly these days, so if Wei Lan wanted to play, he’d play along.

—

Meanwhile, Lu Zijin had just finished her tasks and thought of Wei Lan. She asked, “Has the master returned? Was the signing smooth today?”

Qianxue smiled and replied, “She should be back soon. I heard many people queued for the signing. Some girls went in the morning and returned in the afternoon to see the master again. They bought many copies. The master is quite popular with these girls.”

“Really? How is she popular? Tell me,” Lu Zijin said, her expression unchanged but her eyes deepening.

Qianxue thought Lu Zijin was happy for Wei Lan and continued smiling. “The guards who returned said most attendees were young Kunze. The master signed books and chatted with them happily. Because of her, those girls will likely be regular customers at our bookshop.”

“Really? So Wei Lan had a happy day?” Lu Zijin’s eyes grew darker, like a deep pool with no visible bottom. Her little Qianyuan seemed naughty again.