Previously, Hao Zhuang knew that Zhang Silang was writing a story, but those stories followed old clichés and were fundamentally uninteresting. He even mocked Silang, claiming that no matter how many stories he wrote, he would never get published!
“Hello everyone, I’m Zhang Fang. It is an honor to present a story that has gained your interest!” Zhang Fang spoke gracefully, a gentle smile adorning his face as he addressed the crowd.
Everyone was curious about him, especially the female listeners, whose gazes became filled with admiration and fascination.
Hao Zhuang harbored malicious thoughts and decided to speak up, loudly hollering at the person on stage, “Zhang Silang, aren’t you locked up for causing a commotion in a brothel and unable to pay your debts?”
Unable to bear seeing Zhang Fang basking in the spotlight, he sought to expose his dark past in public!
Upon hearing his words, the crowd began to gaze at Zhang Fang with gossip-filled eyes, and the female listeners regained their clarity.
Upstairs, Old Lady Zhang gritted her teeth and muttered under her breath, “This kid is truly no good! To publicly undermine Silang!”
Old Man Zhang was equally enraged, fists clenched but uncertain how to respond.
Glancing at Hao Zhuang, Zhang Fang smiled slightly and replied, “I appreciate the concern from my fellow classmates. I previously attempted to write some romantic stories, but they were repeatedly rejected by the publishing house. Since I had never experienced romance, I went to a brothel to learn. Unfortunately, after drinking, I lost control and caused a ruckus at the brothel. At the time, my family couldn’t provide the money, so I had no choice but to go to jail. The story of mortals cultivating immortality was created during my time in prison.”
Zhang Fang’s openness left the crowd with their earlier discomfort dissipating. They now felt that Zhang Fang was truly daring for the sake of writing a story! He had been to the brothel and to prison. Fortunately, he had finally written a good story!
Someone inquired, “Will this story be published?”
The questioner was also a scholar who usually spent his time in the academy studying and didn’t have much opportunity to listen to storytelling at tea houses. If Zhang Fang’s story could be published, they would definitely buy the book to keep up with the updates!
Before Zhang Fang could respond, someone in the crowd raised their hand and spoke loudly.
“I am the manager of Qingyu Bookstore! I’m willing to publish the works of this talented scholar!”
Manager Wei had heard that the tea house would be updating Zhang Fang’s story and rushed over to gather the details. He arrived late, and even offering more money couldn’t get him a seat in the upper class area; he could only stand at the bottom to listen to the storytelling. Truth be told, he was quite angry. He didn’t expect that after giving Zhang Fang twenty-five taels of silver, Zhang Fang would not immediately collaborate with him but would first send his new manuscript to the tea house! Fortunately, he had gotten the news in time! Seizing this opportunity, he had to publicly tie Zhang Fang to the bookstore! This story must be published!
Zhang Fang was not upset; he smiled at Manager Wei and inquired, “Manager Wei, are you prepared to draft the publishing contract?”
Manager Wei thought he could control the situation, but who knew that this young man was hard to handle! Gritting his teeth, he squeezed his way through the crowd and walked onto the stage. Standing beside Zhang Fang, he whispered, “Scholar Zhang, I have already communicated your terms to the owner. We will receive a response in a few days.”
“Then we will wait for a reply!” Zhang Fang turned to address everyone, saying, “Manager Wei is discussing the publishing of my work with the owner, and it may take some time before we have news.”
Manager Wei:!!!
No, young man, you can’t do this!
Isn’t this putting him on the spot?!
Manager Wei regretted being too hasty; by pressing Zhang Fang to agree to sign the contract publicly, he had now been outmaneuvered. He could only grit his teeth and change his stance, saying, “Okay, I agree!”
What’s the worst that could happen? A scolding? If he were to lose his job, he could just stick close to Zhang Fang from then on!
Zhang Fang smiled and announced to the crowd, “Manager Wei says he will prepare the contract right away, and we can publish my work!”
The audience observed the exchange between Zhang Fang and Manager Wei, understanding his intentions. He simply wanted to secure the priority for the contract. Those who were illiterate or uninterested in reading pondered whether they would need to learn to read if this story was published to follow the subsequent developments!
Manager Wei forced a smile, gritting his teeth as he wrote the contract on the spot, signing it with his name and imprinting it with his seal.
Zhang Fang maintained his smile, signing his name and stamping his mark on the contract as well.
The contract was made in duplicate, officially signing for publication!
Zhang Fang even shook hands with Manager Wei on stage, causing Manager Wu to seethe with jealousy. Knowing he could not stop their collaboration, he could only hope that the bookstore would delay the publication for a while. That way, the tea house could keep the initial storyline going for some time, maintaining its popularity and customer flow!
Many scholars expressed joy, continuing to ask Zhang Fang, “When can we see the book?”
Manager Wei turned to stare at Zhang Fang; now that the contract was signed, he had to urge for the manuscript!
Zhang Fang replied, “I will be participating in the provincial examination soon, and before the exam, the first volume of the story content will be published. The remaining content will have to wait until after the exam.”
Realizing that Zhang Fang was also someone preparing for the imperial examination, the scholars looked at him with even friendlier expressions. They even wished to befriend Zhang Fang!
After answering all the questions from the audience, Zhang Fang mentioned he had other matters to attend to and headed upstairs to retrieve Old Lady Zhang and Old Man Zhang, taking them away with him.
Now every move Zhang Fang made was under everyone’s watchful eyes. Old Man Zhang and Old Lady Zhang felt nervous and insecure as they saw him approach, unable even to sit still, fearing they would embarrass their son.
“Father, Mother, let’s go after we finish eating,” he said, noting that they hadn’t left much food on the table. It seemed that Old Man Zhang and Old Lady Zhang had eaten quite a bit.
“Could that be the parents of Scholar Zhang?”
Those people had not yet left, gazing curiously at Old Lady Zhang and Old Man Zhang.
Old Lady Zhang clasped her long sleeves together, holding onto the food she had packed. As she walked, she accidentally stepped on Old Man Zhang’s hem, causing her to stumble. Zhang Fang quickly reached out to steady her.
The items in her hands fell to the ground. A chicken leg tumbled out of the bag, and this scene sparked a sense of shame in Old Lady Zhang, regretting her greed for bringing such embarrassment to Zhang Fang in front of so many people!
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