Chapter 55

"Brother, Sister Lingyun said you wrote another book, why didn't you tell me?" As soon as Zuo'er entered, she questioned with a frown. She had just learned from Xie Lingyun that Zhou Chong had written another novel.

"Haha, the book I wrote this time is something you can't understand, so I didn't tell you!" Zhou Chong evaded the question, then he stepped forward to support Zuo'er's shoulders and pushed her out of the room, saying, "Zuo'er, I have business to discuss with Miss Xie, which isn't suitable for you to hear. Just wait outside the door!"

Zuo'er couldn't understand why her brother had become so mysterious. She tried to resist, but Zhou Chong was stronger, and she was eventually pushed out of the room. Zhou Chong then closed the door and turned to Xie Lingyun with a smile, "Miss Lingyun, if you want to see the manuscript of the new book, I'll get it for you."

Seeing Zhou Chong close the door, Xie Lingyun suddenly felt a bit nervous. After all, it was improper for a man and a woman to be alone in a room. However, she thought of Zuo'er outside and the abacus bead by her side, so she didn't stop him.

Zhou Chong quickly took out the neatly organized manuscript of "The Golden Lotus" and handed it to Xie Lingyun. The manuscript wasn't long, only the first six chapters. Xie Lingyun read it carefully, and she was immediately struck by the opening poem:

A beauty of eighteen, her body smooth as cream,

With a sword at her waist, she slays the foolish men.

Though no heads fall to the ground,

In secret, she drains their very bones.

This poem was straightforward and clearly a lewd poem. Although Xie Lingyun was composed, she was still a young girl around Zhou Chong's age. Seeing such a poem made her face flush, and she couldn't help but lower her head, worried that Zhou Chong might notice her embarrassment.

Fortunately, the first chapter of "The Golden Lotus" was relatively normal. Apart from the lewd poem, it mainly discussed the words "wealth" and "beauty," which, though explicit, were also profound and made the reader nod in agreement.

However, the first chapter introduced several characters, and when Xie Lingyun first saw the main character Ximen Qing, she felt a sense of familiarity, as if she had heard of him before, but couldn't quite place it. When Wu Song, Wu Dalang, and Pan Jinlian appeared, Xie Lingyun suddenly realized that these characters were from "Water Margin."

Seeing characters from "Water Margin" in Zhou Chong's new book, Xie Lingyun looked up at him with suspicion. She found him grinning at her, a lecherous smile that made her want to punch him.

Suppressing the urge to hit him, Xie Lingyun turned to the second chapter. Like the first, the second chapter began with a sensual poem. Xie Lingyun was prepared this time and didn't blush, but the second chapter largely copied the plot from "Water Margin," which she had already read, so she skimmed through it quickly. She couldn't help but wonder if Zhou Chong's new book was just a copy of "Water Margin."

The third chapter was also a copy of "Water Margin," including the five shameless acts of "Pan, Donkey, Xiao, and Xian." This made Xie Lingyun so angry that she clenched her teeth, wanting to throw the manuscript at Zhou Chong's face. However, she was a rational person. Although the manuscript contained many explicit descriptions and copied many scenes from "Water Margin," the plot and writing were still very engaging, and for many people, the explicit content was the key to its appeal.

With this rational mindset, Xie Lingyun forced herself to continue reading. However, she underestimated "The Golden Lotus." The fourth chapter, while still copying "Water Margin," had significant changes. For example, the scene where Ximen Qing seduces Pan Jinlian, which was only briefly mentioned in "Water Margin," was described in great detail in Zhou Chong's book.

The subsequent scenes were even more lewd, making Xie Lingyun's face burn and her limbs feel weak. Especially when she thought of Zhou Chong watching her with a wicked smile, she felt both embarrassed and angry. Finally, she couldn't take it anymore.

"Slap!" Xie Lingyun threw the manuscript on the table, her face flushed with anger as she pointed at Zhou Chong and shouted, "Shameless!"

Seeing Xie Lingyun lose her usual calm demeanor, Zhou Chong felt a strange sense of satisfaction. Perhaps it was because the previous times he dealt with her, she had given him a lot of psychological pressure. Now, seeing her angry, he realized she was just a normal person who could also get angry, which relieved his own pressure.

Facing the embarrassed and angry Xie Lingyun, Zhou Chong smiled and picked up the manuscript from the table, saying, "Miss Xie, please calm down. Don't forget, you are a merchant, and merchants are only interested in making money. If I publish 'The Golden Lotus,' it will be no less popular than 'Journey to the West,' and your family will earn even more."

Seeing Zhou Chong's playful expression, Xie Lingyun felt like crying. Her eyes were already red, and tears were about to fall. The little maid, Suanzhu, didn't know what had happened and didn't know how to help, so she could only look at her mistress helplessly.

However, what Zhou Chong didn't expect was that Xie Lingyun, with great effort, managed to hold back her tears. She stood there, staring at Zhou Chong for a long time, and the anger on her face gradually faded, eventually returning to her usual calm.

"Thank you for reminding me, Mr. Zhou. I am a merchant, and making money is what I need to consider!" Xie Lingyun's voice was calm but trembling. She then extended her delicate hand, took back the manuscript from Zhou Chong, and sat down to continue reading.

Seeing Xie Lingyun's reaction, Zhou Chong was completely stunned. He never thought that in the Ming Dynasty, a young, unmarried lady would dare to read such a book in front of a man, and it required a lot of courage to do so.

Compared to Zhou Chong's shock, Xie Lingyun was also not having an easy time. Although she tried to tell herself that this was a test, and if she couldn't pass this test, she couldn't take over the family business, the lewd words in the manuscript still made her face burn, and her ears turned red.

Suanzhu, seeing her mistress's strange reaction, finally realized that it was Zhou Chong's manuscript that had caused it. She was extremely curious and stretched her neck to look at the content. However, as soon as she saw a little, she blushed and covered her face with her hands, but she still glared at Zhou Chong through the gaps in her fingers, marking him as "lecherous and shameless" in her mind.

Finally, after Xie Lingyun forced herself to finish reading, she calmed her turbulent emotions and looked at Zhou Chong with a determined gaze, though her face was still flushed and her voice trembled. "I've finished reading the manuscript. Although it's disgusting, it is indeed very appealing to some people."

As she spoke, the redness on her face hadn't faded, and her voice still trembled, but her stubborn nature didn't let her back down. She stared directly into Zhou Chong's eyes. Although Zhou Chong knew the situation was inappropriate, he suddenly felt an urge to burst out laughing. However, considering the serious consequences, he wisely suppressed his laughter.

"Cough," Zhou Chong cleared his throat, "Miss Xie, you have a good eye. Since you approve, the new book is set. I will finish writing it as soon as possible!"

"No need!" To Zhou Chong's surprise, Xie Lingyun outright rejected his offer. She then sat up straight, took a few deep breaths, and the redness on her face gradually faded. "Mr. Zhou, your book is indeed excellent and very engaging. However, I just thought of something. Because of this, your new book does not meet our requirements, and our family will not publish it."

"What?" Zhou Chong almost jumped up. According to the contract, if his book did not meet the Xie family's requirements, Xie Lingyun had the right not to publish it, and he would not receive any payment.

"What exactly made you decide that the new book doesn't meet the requirements? According to the contract, you must give me a convincing reason!" Zhou Chong asked, suppressing his anger. Although it was a bit unseemly to make Xie Lingyun read such a book, he thought it was just a prank. If this was the reason she wouldn't publish the book, it was not convincing enough.

Xie Lingyun, now back to her usual calm self, looked at Zhou Chong with a composed gaze and said, "Since Mr. Zhou wants to know, I won't hide it. I believe you have heard that our family is mainly involved in smuggling. We only started entering other industries in recent years. The profit from the printing workshop is much lower compared to smuggling. However, the reason I insisted on buying the printing workshop is not just for profit, but to change the public's perception of our family."

At this point, Xie Lingyun didn't elaborate further, but Zhou Chong, being smart, immediately understood her meaning. Although many rich people in Songjiang and along the coast were involved in smuggling, most of them also had legitimate businesses, and smuggling was only a part of their business.

However, the Xie family was different. They were mainly involved in smuggling and didn't have legitimate businesses to cover up their activities, which damaged their reputation. Therefore, Xie Lingyun wanted to develop other industries to change the public's perception of the Xie family, such as their active participation in disaster relief.

The printing workshop directly served scholars, who were the voice of society. Therefore, the printing workshop was not just for profit but also to improve the Xie family's reputation.

"The Golden Lotus" was a good book, and if it were printed and published, it would surely be in high demand. However, it was also a lewd book. Although the main buyers were scholars, most of them were hypocritical. They might read "The Golden Lotus" with joy at night but denounce the author as shameless and lecherous during the day. As the publisher, the Xie family would also be implicated, and instead of improving their reputation, they would be disgraced.

Xie Lingyun's reason was indeed valid, and Zhou Chong couldn't think of a way to counter it. When he decided to write "The Golden Lotus," he even planned to have Xie Lingyun publish it anonymously, as writing a lewd book was not a glorious thing, and he didn't want to ruin his reputation. However, he didn't expect the Xie family to care even more about their reputation and refuse to publish such a book.

"I understand. Your family is indeed not suitable for publishing this book. I will write a new book, and I promise it won't have the same issues as 'The Golden Lotus'!" Zhou Chong said, somewhat dejected. He had worked for several days, only to find out that it was all for nothing. He wondered if he should write "Dream of the Red Chamber," which had strong literary value. Some of its ideas were rebellious, but it would surely be popular among scholars and might even attract some young ladies who would call themselves Baochai or Daiyu.

Seeing Zhou Chong's dejected look, Xie Lingyun, who had fully recovered, smiled and said, "From your appearance, it seems you don't really enjoy writing books?"

Zhou Chong glared at Xie Lingyun and said, "Life forces me to do it. What's there to like or dislike? It's just about earning money to support my family."

Hearing this, Xie Lingyun's smile grew, and her eyes sparkled with excitement. "I understand your difficulties, Mr. Zhou. After writing a book like 'Journey to the West,' it's natural to feel drained if you have to write another one immediately. If you really don't want to write, I have another solution. If you are willing to give up something, the three hundred taels of silver you borrowed last time will still be forgiven."

PS: Thank you to the reader who urged me to update at the end of the month. However, due to the new book period, the word count cannot exceed 200,000, so I cannot add more updates. This chapter is longer, and it is my way of apologizing to everyone. I also request votes and collections!

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