Chapter Nine, Workers!

It is important to work diligently; if you have no place to stay, I can free up a room in the backyard for you

With the experience of living two lives, it is not very difficult to earn a little money in Yuezhou City. For instance, setting up a small food stall by the roadside can easily allow one to survive in Yuezhou City. However, even if the food at such a stall is exceptionally delicious, it still requires some time to build a good reputation, and it will not bring Lin Zhao significant profits in the short term

Thus, after careful consideration, Lin Zhao decisively abandoned the idea of setting up a stall

Furthermore, there are printed editions of books written by prominent figures in the court, as well as some currently popular titles

Small bookstores generally engage in buying and selling, profiting from the price difference upon resale. Larger bookstores typically have their own printing facilities; for instance, Sanyuan Bookstore has its own printing workshop

At present, it is clearly unrealistic to quickly accumulate capital in Yuezhou City by competing for the existing businesses. The best approach is to identify some loopholes in certain industries, or simply create a new industry from scratch, in order to earn money quickly

After having a general idea in mind, Lin Zhao began to observe the shopkeeper of this bookstore. The shopkeeper appeared to be under forty years of age, with a fair complexion and a long beard under his chin, giving him a certain elegance. Compared to Mr. Qin from the Lin family, he seemed even more like a scholar.

Lin Zhao took a deep breath, stepped forward, slightly bowed his head to the middle-aged man, and said: "Shopkeeper, are you hiring apprentices here?"

Even the cost of living in the Yuanzhou Prefecture, a consistent sum of money is still a considerable amount. Take Lin Zhao's father, Lin Qingyuan, for example. He works as a clerk in a neighboring prefecture, earning about 60 guan a year. After deducting expenses, being able to save half is already quite good

Even in an ideal situation, Lin Zhao's snack stall is thriving, but he can only prepare a limited number of servings by himself. While it is possible to make money, it amounts to only a small, insignificant sum.

This is a relatively well-developed city, with a comprehensive range of industries. There are not many opportunities left for Lin Zhao to earn money. By the afternoon, the young man bought a large pancake by the roadside, sitting there while nibbling on the pancake and quietly contemplating.

Lin Zhao hurriedly lowered his head and performed a bow to Xie Sanyuan, saying: "Lin Zhao is very grateful to the owner for taking me in"

In addition to these printed copies, there are also quite a number of handwritten manuscripts

At the age of thirteen, apart from running a snack stall, Lin Zhao had few other options for employment. After getting up early in the morning, the young man sat in his little nook for a full half hour, pondering, yet he still could not come up with a more suitable profession. Therefore, he decided to go out and take a stroll around Yuezhou City to conduct some market research

He is a poor young man; even if he manages to create movable type printing, he cannot establish a business on his own and must find someone to work with him to succeed

Upon thinking of this, the young man quickly devoured the large pancake in his hand. Then, he looked around on the street and suddenly spotted a bookstore. His eyes lit up as he recalled something and he stepped forward towards the bookstore

At this time, the labor wages in the province of Yuezhou are approximately between 400 and 600 coins per month, and this includes provisions for food and accommodation. The 200 coins proposed by Lin Zhao is already far below the "ordinary wage".

As soon as Lin Zhao entered, he saw that the shopkeeper had ink stains on both hands, and it was the kind of ink that could not be washed off, which is why he spoke to Xie Sanyuan

At this moment, Lin Zhao was already certain that the printing level of this world was limited to woodblock printing, at least the mainstream was woodblock printing. However, he was completely ignorant of this trade, so he needed to work in this bookstore for a while, both to understand the extent of the printing level in this world and to learn how to print things.

Upon entering the bookstore, Lin Zhao first casually flipped through the books on the shelves, then glanced at the prices, and had a general idea in mind.

The shopkeeper's surname is Xie, and his name is Xie Sanyuan. In his early years, he was also a scholar, but after many unsuccessful attempts at the imperial examinations, he did not even obtain the title of a xiucai. Left with no choice, he opened a bookstore and has since spent over ten years. His Sanyuan Bookstore has gained a modest reputation in Yuezhou City. While he cannot be considered wealthy or noble, he has managed to acquire property in Yuezhou Prefecture through this bookstore and is doing quite well.

He needs four hundred yuan for a month's rent, and his salary of two hundred yuan is not enough to cover the rent

Handwritten manuscripts are relatively niche and less mainstream. Of course, there are also some handwritten versions of the Four Books and Five Classics that are reserved for collection by wealthy families

However, Lin Zhao at present has no time to appreciate these landscapes. He has spent most of the day walking in Yuezhou City, from Nan Street in the south of the city all the way to Sandai Street in the north, continuously observing the livelihoods of the people of Yuezhou City along the streets.

Of course, more importantly, it is essential to examine the character of this shopkeeper to determine whether they are worthy of collaboration

First and foremost, it can be affirmed that the printing press already existed in this era. The books prominently displayed in the most conspicuous position of the bookstore are several rows of clearly printed books. Most of these books are intended for academic examination, such as the "Four Books and Five Classics" which serve as "textbooks," as well as the "reference books" that provide annotations for the Four Books and Five Classics.

Xie Sanyuan first frowned, then looked Lin Zhao up and down, and sighed: "Alright, seeing that you, a young man, are also in a difficult situation, otherwise you wouldn't have said such words. You may help me here, and as for the wages, I will not shortchange you; I will give you four hundred coins a month."

My surname is Xie, Xie Sanyuan

More importantly, Lin Zhao has never been involved in this profession in his past or present life. There are many snacks he has only tasted but never made. Even if he were to follow a template, it would be difficult for him to create a dish that becomes a sensation throughout the city in a short period of time

Lin Erniang has been doing embroidery every day for many years, and it is estimated that her savings combined will not exceed 5 guan

Yuezhou Prefecture is a typical Jiangnan city, where every street runs parallel to a river. Walking along the streets of Yuezhou Prefecture, one can see small bridges and flowing water throughout the city, which is quite pleasing to the eye

The terms "owner" and "shopkeeper" carry significantly different connotations in the background. Indeed, Xie Sanyuan is the proprietor of this bookstore. Upon hearing this, the smile on his face grew even broader as he reached out to pat Lin Zhao's shoulder

He was originally flipping through a newly arrived storybook when he heard a sound. He looked up and found a handsome young boy, who appeared to be around twelve or thirteen years old. Xie Sanyuan smiled slightly and said, "Young man, I already have someone working here, so I do not need anyone at the moment. You might want to check elsewhere."

Compared to printed editions, the price of handwritten manuscripts is significantly higher, sometimes exceeding ten times the cost. A printed book generally ranges from 20 to 30 cents to 1 yuan, while some handwritten books can sell for over 10 yuan!

Jiangnan has always been a place of refined culture and vitality, and the city of Yuezhou is particularly known for its flourishing literary atmosphere. Consequently, there are quite a number of bookstores in Yuezhou, with at least one or two found on almost every street. These bookstores vary in size, and the one Lin Zhao entered, named Sanyuan Bookstore, can be considered a medium to large establishment, occupying three to four rooms at the front.

Hearing Xie Sanyuan's outright refusal, Lin Zhao did not feel discouraged; he simply smiled at Xie Sanyuan and said, "Shopkeeper, my labor cost is low, only 200 coins a month, and you don't need to provide accommodation, just two meals a day will suffice"