There is a god in the sky

Chapter 181 Reunion on New Year's Eve 5

The festive atmosphere of the Lunar New Year is very strong in Bianjing.

From the first day of the Lunar New Year, the streets have been bustling with activity.

Shen Lan extended the bookstore's opening hours, thinking that there wouldn't be many customers buying or reading books during the Lunar New Year, but business was even better than before the New Year.

"Shopkeeper Shen, Happy New Year! I heard the bookstore has some new books. Are they good?"

As soon as Shen Lan opened the door, she saw Qiu Yi standing behind her in a cotton coat.

There was a poster outside the shop advertising the newly released books.

It's not really a new book; she just reprinted and put a few moldy old books on the shelves.

"They're all on the display shelves, go and take a look for yourself."

Shen Lan understood that, apart from those from wealthy families and those who were extremely poor, most scholars in this era wanted to take the imperial examination route.

Therefore, exam preparation books are the most attractive to them.

However, most students' understanding of exam questions comes from their teachers, and they rarely have access to supplementary teaching materials from bookstores.

Shen Lan plans to start expanding this market after the New Year.

The newly released books are scripture commentaries she found among old books that had been piling up for many years.

Qiu Yi flipped through only a few pages and immediately recognized the value of the book, so he bought a set of the new books.

For students who can only rely on themselves to read books, such books are much needed.

In the afternoon, a woman wearing a hood and a cloak walked into the bookstore.

Two maids followed behind her, and Shen Lan personally went forward to greet them.

"What would you like to buy, young lady?"

The woman looked around and clicked her tongue in amazement: "Truly, a masterpiece can be found in a humble alley. How can such an ordinary bookstore attract so many scholars? Whose doing is it?"

Shen Lan couldn't understand.

"What would the guest like?" she asked again.

The girl took off her hood, revealing a face that Shen Lan recognized.

It turned out to be Xiao Ji's fiancée, Zhao Xuan, the daughter of the Minister of Justice.

"You know me, don't you?" Zhao Xuan asked with certainty.

Shen Lan gave a slight curtsy. "Yes, Madam Zhao is well."

Zhao Xuan reached out and gave her a helping hand, then gently lifted Shen Lan's chin, her gaze sweeping over her with unrestrained ease.

Such actions and such a gaze are no different from appraising goods, and are quite offensive.

Some regular customers stepped forward to defend Shen Lan, but she stopped them.

"Did Miss Zhao come here to see me?"

It's obvious that this person isn't here to buy anything.

"Of course not, I was just passing by and saw that the bookstore was doing brisk business, so I came in to take a look."

Zhao Xuan smiled slightly, with a hint of sarcasm, "Who knew that they would see such a beautiful female manager as soon as they came in? Now I can understand why they came."

Shen Lan took a step back and said coldly, "This is a bookstore. They are scholars who come here either to read or to buy books."

"Oh? I heard from my brother that your bookstore has books that men love to read. Why don't you bring them out for this young lady to enjoy?"

"Sorry, I'm not a man, so I don't know which books they like to read the most."

She waved to the customers she knew present, "Young Master Li, may I ask which book in our shop you like the most?"

Young Master Li held up the book for them to see, a slightly naive smile on his face. “This book, ‘Travels and Learning,’ is an absolute gem. I never tire of reading it.”

Shen Lan then asked another guest, "Young Master Hong, which book do you like the most?"

"Haha, of course it's Sima Biao's 'Chronicles of the Nine Provinces,' it's truly breathtaking!"

Another person chimed in, "The Chronicles of the Nine Provinces is good, but The Legend of the Immortals is truly grand in scope and incredibly brilliant!"

Shen Lan shrugged: "I'm sorry, I don't know what kind of books men like best. Miss Zhao will have to choose for herself."

"Don't pretend to be a chaste and virtuous woman. I heard that Young Master Lu bought a copy from you... He's been bragging about it everywhere."

Shen Lan suddenly realized, "Miss is talking about erotic pictures. So you like these. But there's only one copy of that picture book, and it won't be available again. But we have others. Would you like to take a look?"

Zhao Xuan was furious and embarrassed. "Who wants to see that kind of stuff? Who are you insulting?"

Shen Lan was puzzled. "Didn't Miss Zhao bring it up first? I thought you wanted to see it."

Zhao Xuan felt humiliated when she saw many eyes on her.

She had already used up all her courage to enter this study, but she never expected to be humiliated by such a lowly person.

She pulled up her hood and asked Shen with an ambiguous expression, "This study belongs to the Xiao family, doesn't it?"

"Yes."

Although Xiao Ji had said that all the contracts for this study were given to her, and could be hers, Shen Lan would not accept them.

"I see. Xiao Ji is indeed good at recognizing and utilizing talent."

Zhao Xuan deliberately raised her voice and said, "How dare a lowly female coroner, whose hands touch only filthy bodies, touch the books of sages?"

The guests present were unaware of Shen Lan's identity as a coroner.

This identity is something many people would avoid, and scholars especially despise those who associate with corpses.

A guest dropped the book he was holding and left in a hurry.

Some people thought the girl's words were unbelievable. This Manager Shen looked to be no more than a teenager. How could he be a coroner?

There are also people who don't care at all about Shen Lan's identity, who she is, what she does, or what it has to do with them reading and buying books.

Shen Lan extended her hand.

“My hands are naturally not as well-maintained as Miss Zhao’s. I am just an ordinary woman who has to earn money to support myself with my own hands.”

"I know a lot of things; autopsies are just one of them. Do you think coroners don't need to eat?"

"I've heard that Lord Xiao has a very capable coroner by his side who helps him solve many strange cases. Could it be Manager Shen?" Young Master Li was most interested in strange tales from all over the country.

When it comes to Xiao Ji, young students are very familiar with him and regard him as a role model.

They all asked, "Manager Shen, can you tell us how Lord Xiao solved the case?"

"Yes, yes, you definitely tell the story better than the storytellers in the teahouse."

Shen Lan shook her head. "Murder cases are all bloody, and many files have not yet been reviewed by the Ministry of Justice. It is not appropriate to publicize them."

Zhao Xuan covered her face and laughed, "Xiao Ji has been a master judge for a long time, but now all the good reputation has been given to Counselor Shen. He really doesn't know his own limitations."

Shen Lan didn't think she had a good reputation.

If Zhao Xuan hadn't publicly promoted her identity as a coroner, she could have kept that identity hidden for a long time.

“Miss Zhao, please don’t worry about it. Lord Xiao is not one to seek fame or fortune, and I don’t need a good reputation either. I’m just doing my job.”

She wanted to see the guests out.

Zhao Xuan had said what she needed to say; she couldn't stay in this shop full of male customers any longer.

However, as she left, she wondered if Xiao Ji would hand over the shop to her to manage after they got married.

If so, then this Manager Shen absolutely cannot be allowed to stay.

“Young lady, why bother arguing with a lowly woman? With her status, she shouldn’t even be considered a concubine, let alone a mistress.”

Zhao Xuan flicked her sleeves and said angrily, "Of course I know she's of lowly status, but didn't you see that she could come and go with Xiao Ji?"

"That was for official business."

"You don't need to comfort me. Am I blind? Xiao Ji clearly treats her differently!"

Zhao Xuan is not young anymore; she is no longer an ignorant young girl.

It's normal for Xiao Ji, who is still unmarried at his age, to have several concubines serving him.

If Shen Lan were merely a maidservant to Xiao Ji, she would have no reason to fear her.

However, she was not a young woman confined to the inner quarters of the house, but a beautiful young woman who could openly and legitimately walk in the officialdom.

She had a feeling that this woman would become her formidable rival in the future.