Chapter 090

Chapter 90: If He Died, Then Who Was the One Five Years Ago

Du Zi Heng could not help asking: “In your view, will I keep losing money?”

He opened this bookstore without expecting to make a fortune. Books are a refined trade. Unless long-term losses forced the shop to shut down, he would not even look at profits and losses.

Yu Zhi Yi gave him a puzzled look: “If a few days will show the result, why ask now?”

Her abilities were rare, and she did not use them unless it was a matter of life and death. Of course, if someone paid for it, that was different.

Sadly, Du Zi Heng missed the hint. He nodded as if fully convinced: “You are right. We will know in a few days.”

At worst he would lose a little more. Compared with the thousands of taels he had burned before, this time it would only be money for paper and ink. A few taels a day was still within what he could bear.

He did not tell Yu Zhi Yi that he was actually confident. Since she had said his plan was workable, even if it could not earn big, it should at least break even.

Facts proved that his quiet confidence was not a delusion.

Nan Feng Bookstore had three floors. Before, shelves filled the first and second floors, while the third floor was used for the owner’s household and as a resting place for honored guests.

After Du Zi Heng took over, he waved his hand and had all the second-floor shelves moved downstairs. He turned the second and third floors into spaces for reading and discussion.

The third floor, however, was not open to the public for now.

Except for Yu Zhi Yi’s own room, the rest of the third floor was divided into small private rooms. In the future, he planned to offer the use of those rooms as prizes in contests.

Students with top results would earn the right to use a private room upstairs and would not have to squeeze in with the crowd below.

To make it plain, getting to the third floor would be a status symbol.

Either you were rich and paid handsomely for a quiet place to read, or you truly had talent and won it with your learning.

After the changes, business was not as wild as before. There were no lines stretching down the street, but if you looked inside, the air felt warmer and more focused.

Before, two out of three visitors came for the free tea and snacks. Even if they held a book, they were only there for the fun.

Some common folk not only ate but also tried to sneak things away.

Real readers rarely got the free items at all.

And in that noisy, shoving mess, true scholars could not read.

Now the shop was lively in a different way. The noise came from students debating fine essays and speaking bold truths about current affairs.

Another thing changed: earlier, too many common loafers drove away the store’s regular crowd.

Most people who could afford to read in these times had money or power. They might not openly look down on the poor, but they would not enjoy sharing a room with people who had no manners.

Now there were still poor students, but they came to study for real, and many rude habits that made others uncomfortable were gone.

To speak bluntly, as long as this bookstore carried the Du name, the young masters of rich and powerful families would visit.

You Bing Yue’s earlier actions had the opposite effect and scared those people off.

After Du Zi Heng took charge, those same people might not love studying beside poor students, but to curry favor with Chancellor Du and with Du Zi Heng, they would hold back their dislike.

Besides, there was always the third floor.

After Du Zi Heng left, Li Rou brought Yu Zhi Yi a cup of milk tea, then stepped aside. Curiosity filled her eyes, but she kept quiet.

She knew there was a gap between her and Zi Yuan. Zi Yuan could ask anything without worry, but she did not dare.

Seeing the little miss so torn, Yu Zhi Yi laughed: “You are wondering if the bookstore can go from loss to profit?”

Li Rou nodded in embarrassment: “Miss, this maid is a little curious.”

“This is not hard to guess,” said Yu Zhi Yi. “In the short term, his changes will not bring much profit. But over time, people want to climb higher. They will not be happy with one or two hours in the shop. They will want to take books home to study more.”

“Whether they buy or borrow, they will have to pay.”

“Students from wealthy homes can move up even faster. With one wave of a hand, they can spend a hundred taels.”

“Later, when Nan Feng Bookstore makes a name, more and more serious people will come.”

In her last life, none of this had happened. Nan Feng Bookstore stayed a small shop.

But from the moment she saw Nan Feng Bookstore with her own eyes, she felt it should not be just a small shop. [It should be a sanctuary for readers. But why should it be so by right?]

Yu Zhi Yi could not sort out the feeling and did not dwell on it. [I am not an immortal. There are many heavenly mechanisms I cannot see through.]

At lunch, Madam Yao looked troubled. More than once, after swallowing a bite, she forgot to pick up the next piece of food.

When she drifted off yet again, Yu Zhi Yi finally spoke: “Mother, what has happened?”

Madam Yao hesitated, then asked: “Yi’er, do you know Divine Physician Chun Yu?”

Yu Zhi Yi’s calm face turned cold: “What about him?”

Madam Yao sighed: “People of the Yu clan say he can help the Empress Dowager regain her senses. They also say Yu Jiao Jiao knows Divine Physician Chun Yu well and is the only one who can invite him. His Majesty has already allowed Yu Jiao Jiao to atone for her crimes. If she really brings Divine Physician Chun Yu and he cures the Empress Dowager, that would be a good thing.”

She said “a good thing,” but there was no joy on her face. Clearly, she had not finished.

Sure enough, Madam Yao went on: “But as far as I know, Divine Physician Chun Yu died eight years ago.”

Yu Zhi Yi’s eyes grew sharp: “Mother, what did you say? Divine Physician Chun Yu is already dead?”

Not knowing why her daughter reacted so strongly, Madam Yao only nodded. “Yes. I once took You Lin to Hundred-Flower City to see the blossoms. On the way, we happened to save a man being robbed by mountain bandits.”

“That man could not fight at all, yet with only his presence he kept more than a dozen bandits from getting close. They only dared shoot arrows from far away.”

“Sadly we arrived too late. He had seven or eight arrows in him.”

“I wanted to bring him into the city for treatment, but he refused. He said he was Divine Physician Chun Yu. He knew better than anyone that he would not live. He asked us to send his belongings to Divine Physician Valley.”

“Mother, are you sure he really was Divine Physician Chun Yu? He truly died?”

Yu Zhi Yi asked again and again. She wanted a clear answer.

If Divine Physician Chun Yu had died eight years ago, then who was the person Yu Jiao Jiao brought back five years ago?