Chapter 28

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As Zhou Chong stood at the entrance of the classroom, taking a deep breath, he firmly held the secret letter given to him by his mother.

Seeing Zhou Chong's impatient expression, Xie Lingyun, though extremely composed, couldn't help but feel a bit angry. With the wealth and influence of the Xie family, and being a rare beauty herself, she was always treated with great hospitality wherever she went. However, now at the Zhou residence, Zhou Chong hadn't even offered her a cup of tea. What a petty man!

Although she had already labeled Zhou Chong as "petty" in her mind, Xie Lingyun was well accustomed to controlling her emotions. She smiled and said, "Mr. Zhou, you are truly a straightforward person. I am here today to discuss something with you. Could you consider entrusting the printing of 'Journey to the West' to the Xie family?"

"The Xie family?" Zhou Chong showed a look of great surprise. After their argument at the teahouse, he had specifically inquired about Xie Lingyun and learned about the Xie family. If he remembered correctly, the Xie family had made their fortune through smuggling, and he had never heard that they were involved in book printing.

Seeing Zhou Chong's surprised expression, Xie Lingyun smiled faintly and continued, "Mr. Zhou, there's no need to be surprised. I bought the largest printing workshop in Songjiang Prefecture a few months ago, and all the craftsmen are still there. Business has been good, and we handle the printing for several surrounding prefectures. If you entrust 'Journey to the West' to us, we can print it in the shortest time possible. We also have dedicated channels for distribution. I can guarantee that within three months, 'Journey to the West' will be available nationwide, and you, Mr. Zhou, will surely become famous!"

After saying this, Xie Lingyun smiled and stared at Zhou Chong. She understood people like Zhou Chong very well. For them, nothing was more attractive than fame. After all, fame would give them a significant advantage in the imperial examinations. According to her investigation, this Mr. Zhou had been very enthusiastic about fame and success in the past, so he would definitely not refuse such an opportunity!

However, to Xie Lingyun's surprise, Zhou Chong showed no interest after hearing her words. Instead, he looked at her with a strange expression, as if she were a rare animal.

If it were anyone else, they would have likely exploded in anger under Zhou Chong's insulting gaze, either slapping him or storming out. But Xie Lingyun's composure was extraordinary. She seemed to ignore the insult in Zhou Chong's gaze and continued to look at him calmly.

Faced with such a composed Xie family lady, Zhou Chong had no choice but to admit defeat. Finally, he said, "Miss Xie, I believe you know the situation of the Zhou family, right?"

"Of course!" Xie Lingyun's smile deepened as she saw Zhou Chong yield. However, her gaze remained calm and warm, giving no hint of her thoughts.

"Ha, so you do know. Then let me ask you, in what capacity are you here to see me, Zhou Chong?" Zhou Chong's face showed a playful expression as he asked.

"Of course, as a merchant!" Xie Lingyun replied without hesitation. As the sole heir of the Xie family, she had been groomed to take over the family business since childhood. Unlike other wealthy young ladies, Xie Lingyun was more pragmatic and did not consider commerce shameful, which was similar to Zhou Chong.

"Ha ha ha, a merchant?" Zhou Chong suddenly burst into laughter, stopping after a while. "Since Miss Xie is a merchant, let's talk business. Don't beat around the bush. I want to know, if I entrust the manuscript of 'Journey to the West' to your family, what benefits will I get?"

Xie Lingyun's investigation was indeed thorough, but the person in front of her was not the original Zhou Chong. This Zhou Chong was even more pragmatic. For him, the most important thing now was to earn his first pot of gold and provide a comfortable life for his family. As for the fame Xie Lingyun mentioned, Zhou Chong didn't care at all.

Xie Lingyun never expected that Zhou Chong, who was obsessed with fame and success according to her investigation, would directly bring up money and do so with such confidence. This completely颠覆edher understanding. Among the scholars she had met, most had a deep disdain for money, even if they were extremely poor, they would still act as if money was beneath them, as if mentioning money would taint their noble sentiments.

However, Xie Lingyun then thought about how Zhou Chong had used despicable means to trick the second son of the Song family at the teahouse. She had assumed that Zhou Chong was so angry about being jilted by the Song family that he had acted without thinking. But now it seemed that Zhou Chong was a very special scholar, unlike any she had met before.

Thinking this, Xie Lingyun gave Zhou Chong a charming smile to hide her shock and immediately changed her strategy. "Mr. Zhou, you are indeed a straightforward person. Since you ask, I will be direct as well. The first ten chapters of 'Journey to the West' have already been circulated, so we won't pay for those. However, starting from the eleventh chapter, we are willing to pay two taels of silver per chapter. What do you think?"

In ancient times, there was no concept of copyright. Once the content of a book was circulated, anyone could publish it. Therefore, Xie Lingyun believed that Zhou Chong wouldn't be paid for the first ten chapters. Without copyright, other publishers would inevitably produce pirated versions of 'Journey to the West' once it was printed, so the profit Xie Lingyun could make from the book was limited. This also meant that the remuneration she could offer Zhou Chong was not high. Two taels of silver per chapter was, in her view, a very high price.

Although Zhou Chong had already learned about the publishing industry, he couldn't help but feel angry when he heard Xie Lingyun's offer of two taels of silver per chapter. "Miss Xie, do you know how much time and effort I spent writing 'Journey to the West'? The entire book has a hundred chapters, and after removing the first ten, the remaining ninety chapters would only earn me 180 taels of silver. That amount is probably not even enough for your household to spend in a day!"

Although 'Journey to the West' was copied from his future memories and didn't require much time or effort, it was one of the four great classical novels of the future. The fact that the copyright was worth less than 200 taels was a significant blow to him.

Seeing Zhou Chong's dissatisfaction with the price, Xie Lingyun was secretly pleased. She feared the most was a flat refusal, but since Zhou Chong thought the price was low, it confirmed her suspicion that he was trying to earn money through writing to support his family.

Thinking this, Xie Lingyun smiled confidently and said, "Mr. Zhou, as a scholar, you may not understand the difficulties of business. For example, to print 'Journey to the West,' even if you agree to entrust the manuscript to us, we must keep it strictly confidential to prevent leaks. The number of books to print is also a problem. If we print too many and can't sell them, we lose money. If we print too few, others will take advantage and print their own versions, and we will be the ones to suffer. We only have one chance. Once the content of 'Journey to the West' is widely known, any publisher can print it. So, the profit we can make from 'Journey to the West' is limited. I hope you can understand!"

After hearing Xie Lingyun's explanation of the difficulties of business, Zhou Chong was unmoved. He countered, "Miss Xie, don't take advantage of me as a scholar. Although I don't understand business, I know one thing: 'Journey to the West' is very popular. Once it's published, it will surely be in high demand. As the first publisher, you won't have to worry about unsold copies. Other publishers will need time to produce pirated versions, so how much you earn depends on how many copies you print initially."

Hearing Zhou Chong point out the key issue, Xie Lingyun was somewhat surprised. She now saw clearly that the Zhou Chong in front of her was completely different from the one she had investigated. She couldn't treat him as a pedantic scholar but had to see him as a business rival.

Realizing this, Xie Lingyun looked at Zhou Chong again. She prided herself on her intelligence and had never been wrong about people, but she had misjudged Zhou Chong twice. This increased her curiosity about him.

"Alright, since Mr. Zhou thinks the price is low, what price do you think is appropriate?" Xie Lingyun finally asked.

Hearing her push the price issue back to him, Zhou Chong pondered for a moment. Writing novels was a difficult and tiring task, and even a book of the caliber of the four great classical novels only earned a few hundred taels. He had no intention of making a career out of writing novels. However, he needed to support his family and earn his first pot of gold, so he had to exchange novels for money, as it required no cost.

"Three hundred taels! 'Journey to the West' has ninety more chapters. Give me three hundred taels, and I will write the remaining ninety chapters as quickly as possible!" Zhou Chong finally calculated a rough figure. Three hundred taels would cover some household expenses, and the rest would be enough to become the capital for his future success.