35 The First Guest of Old Brush Pen Shop (2/2)

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The fact that Ning Que casually made up a shop name for the sake of getting cheaper noodles did upset Sangsang slightly, even though she had no better idea as of the shop name either. For this, she nagged at Ning Que for several years thereafter.

All in all, with one owner/calligrapher and one handmaiden/assistant, this oddly named calligraphy store finally debuted in Lin 47th Street.

The only thing Ning Que disliked about this shop was its distance from the framing shop. Since framing took a long time and he himself lacked the skills to do so himself, he had to remain patient and wait for another two days.

On another rainy in Chang'an, Ning Que's shop was quietly in operation in Lin 47th Street. Wearing a brand new indigo scholar robe, Ning Que held a cheap red-mud teapot in his hand and stood in front of the wall of works and behind the threshold, as if seeing his new life waving at him. This new life looked truly adorable.

”Spring rain is as precious as oil. It's a good sign!”

Standing behind the threshold and contemplating the rain outside, he took a sip of tea and exclaimed. ”Such delicious and hypnotic aroma of the tea and the ink! All the power and ambitions in life cannot compare to this!”

The juvenile face and a scholar robe made him look rather funny instead of handsome. And it was adorable when he tried to look mature by holding the teapot and speaking in an old-fashioned tone.

Outside the threshold and under the eaves was someone taking a shelter from the rain. He just heard what Ning Que said and turned around to glance at him. He was slightly startled at first, but then burst out laughing. It was a middle-aged man with a clean turquoise robe and a sword tied loosely around his waist. His handsome complexion conveyed a sense of freedom and ease, and his charming smile seemed to light up the falling rain.

It was only then that Ning Que realized there was someone outside. Knowing that his sentimental words had been overheard, he felt slightly embarrassed and cleared his throat awkwardly before turning around to pretend that he was looking at the distant palace under the rain, as if nothing had happened.

Probably feeling a little bored, this middle-aged man walked into the shop and casually glanced over the wall with his hands behind his back. His eyes sparkled with appreciation and surprise, despite not showing any interest to make a purchase.

Since all scholars take pride in their pride, Ning Que was not eager to greet the guest, despite the fact that this man was the first to step inside Old Brush Pen Shop ever since its opening, which took on a deep historical significance.

After touring the shop, this middle-aged man walked back to Ning Que and said with a smile, ”Young boss...”

Before he could finish his sentence, the man was interrupted by Ning Que who corrected him with a smile. ”Please simply call me boss. Don't call me young boss for my young age, just as I did not call you swords... man for carrying a sword.”

”Fine then, young boss,” the man still did not change the address and said with a smile, ”I'm curious about why you'd like to rent this shopfront that no one was willing to rent for the past three months.”

Ning Que answered, ”It's quiet with a pleasant environment, with a shop in front and a house behind. I just couldn't figure out a reason for not renting it.”

The man smiled again and said, ”I just want to remind you that, the reason why this shop was so cheap but still had no tenant was not because of everyone else being less smart than you, but because of the warehouse expansion of the Logistics Department that is under the Ministry of Revenue. Chang'an Local Government has waited a long time trying to buy back the shop fronts on this street. As you may know, official compensation always tends to be very low, which means that renting a shop front here incurs high risk for which the tenant may lose everything anytime. You say it's quiet here but did you not realize that all the other shop fronts around you are closed?”

Ning Que frowned suspiciously and asked, ”How do you know about these things?”

This middle-aged man calmly replied, ”Because the shop fronts on both sides of this street all belong to me.”