Time Travel: I'm a Flower Thief

After agreeing on the profit sharing, Xie Xiaoyi buried himself in writing.

During the day, Ouyang Qing would grind ink and serve tea beside him, his brushstrokes flowing swiftly, each word captivating.

With the candlelight burning late into the night, he sat alone at his desk, his pen flowing more and more smoothly as he wrote about the everyday life and tender feelings between men and women.

That afternoon, after taking a break from writing, Xie Xiaoyi leaned back in a bamboo chair, leisurely enjoying a cup of cool tea to beat the summer heat.

Suddenly, stumbling footsteps came from outside the courtyard. Ouyang Ce forgot to knock and rushed in with a joyful expression.

"Thank you, young hero! Our book is a complete hit! In just a few days, the first batch of over a thousand copies has sold out!"

More than a thousand copies?

Xie Xiaoyi raised an eyebrow upon hearing this and asked directly, "Boss Ouyang, how much does each copy of this book cost now?"

Ouyang Ce smiled broadly and replied, "Thanks to Young Hero Xie, I ordered a copy for fifteen coins a copy, and people are still scrambling to buy it!"

Other bookstores' storybooks cost at most ten or twelve coins, but ours are uniquely popular!

Xie Xiaoyi frowned: "After deducting the cost of paper and ink for copying, how much net profit can be made per book?"

Ouyang Ce thought he was worried about the profit sharing, so he explained in detail, "Don't worry, young hero, you won't lose out!"

Each copy earns a net profit of eight coins. Now, with more people working overtime, we can sell a steady two hundred copies a day, earning a net profit of one tael and six mace after deducting expenses!

This is just the beginning; shops in the suburbs of Beijing are also coming to get goods, and sales are going to rise even more!

Xie Xiaoyi was stunned on the spot, his hand holding the herbal tea frozen in mid-air—

Damn it, all those time-travel novels are lies!

Writing a book or compiling a collection of poems can easily bring in a fortune. Is that all there is to it in reality?

Two hundred books a day, and the net profit is only one tael and six mace. I take 40%, which works out to only 640 cash a day, not even enough for one tael of silver!

If you want to earn 10,000 or 20,000 taels, wouldn't it take forever to write that much?

Seeing him in a daze, Ouyang Ce assumed he was delighted and immediately laughed, "Thank you, young hero! 'Jin Ping Mei' is incredibly popular right now!"

The rouge shop owner, the镖行 (security escort) men, even the steward of the Prince's mansion are all staking out here; we're sure to make a killing!

Xie Xiaoyi regained his senses, and all the initial enthusiasm he had was gone.

Originally, I thought I could make a fortune with my writing, just like Fan Xian in the novel "Joy of Life" before I transmigrated.

Who knew that all they could earn was this little bit of income, and all those sleepless nights only brought in this meager sum, leaving them utterly exhausted, both physically and mentally.

Seeing that he had recovered, Ouyang Ce immediately came over and rubbed his hands together with a smile: "Young Master Xie, have you seen how popular this is?"

Everyone's waiting to see, so you'd better hurry up and finish your draft, and write as much as you can while this momentum is going!

"What's the rush? A good book can't be written too hastily. It needs to be polished slowly..."

"Oh my, young hero, it's easy for you to say that when you're not the one suffering the loss. This is all money!"

"Boss Ouyang, good calligraphy and painting are never about chasing money. Slow and steady wins the race. Rushing it will only make it lose its charm."

Why did Xie Mo suddenly change?

That won't do. We can't let him stop writing. He's not just stopping the pen; he's stopping my hard-earned money!

Ouyang Ce's mind raced, a golden light suddenly flashed in his eyes, and he stepped forward with a beaming smile:

"Young hero is right. Slow and steady wins the race. How can we rush you?"

I'll have Qing'er come and help you grind the ink, lay out the paper, and serve you tea and water. You can just focus on writing!

Ouyang Qing?

Yeah, how could I forget my original intention?

I only stayed because of Ouyang Qing, whose "chest flutters" when she walks!

Xie Xiaoyi suddenly realized, but his face remained serious:

"It would be inappropriate to trouble your daughter so often, but since it is Boss Ouyang's kind intention, I won't stand on ceremony."

Ouyang Ce was overjoyed.

Indeed, even heroes can't resist the charms of a beautiful woman!

My Qing'er is naturally beautiful; even ordinary young men can't take their eyes off her. How could Xie Mo not be tempted?

Although this is unfair to my daughter, as long as it gets him to start writing quickly, my Jinghua Bookstore will make a fortune, so sacrificing this little bit is worth it!

"Very well, thank you for your trouble, young hero. I'll have Qing'er come and serve you right away, and I guarantee no one will disturb you while you write!"

......

With Ouyang Qing by his side, Xie Xiaoyi gained motivation.

Seeing that she was watching with great interest, he made a plan. Whenever he touched on a passionate part, he would just lightly touch it with a few strokes and stop. It was this kind of blank space that made people's hearts itch.

After writing for nearly half an hour, Ouyang Qing found it unbearable to read and finally couldn't hold back any longer.

"Young hero... you wrote it this way, but you stopped at the most moving part, which makes people suspenseful and wonder what will happen next."

Fish!

Come to my website!

"Since you're so curious, I'll be frank. I already have a complete version in my mind, every word and sentence of which holds profound secrets. Would you like to know?"

"Yes! Of course I want to!"

"If you wish, then let's find a time to meet, so I can tell you everything."

"This...this won't do! Young Master needs to finish his manuscript during the day, and it's even more inappropriate at night. If Father sees us, won't he be furious?"

"Since you're afraid of being seen, then do it secretly. No one will go to the willow tree in the west corner of the courtyard in the dead of night."

Ouyang Qing looked at Xie Xiaoyi, and her heart skipped a beat.

His words were blatantly an invitation for a secret rendezvous at night. If she actually accepted, wouldn't she be seen as a frivolous and promiscuous girl by others?

Just as she was about to retort sharply, the scene of Li Ping'er's secret rendezvous on the wall in Chapter Thirteen of "Jin Ping Mei" suddenly flashed through her mind.

That longing, that yearning, that hidden affection that dares not be spoken, isn't it precisely this kind of secretive, yet irresistible feeling?

Ouyang Qing understood somewhat what the characters in the book were thinking, but the words of rebuttal stuck in her throat, and she couldn't say them.

She looked up at Xie Xiaoyi again; he was incredibly handsome, surpassing even the characters in the book. How could Ximen Qing compare?

"Okay, but when we meet, we'll only talk about the stories in the book!"

"Of course! My brother's story is fascinating; Miss Ouyang will definitely love it!"

......

Sparse willows, gentle breeze, and moonlight streaming through the window; in the blink of an eye, summer night begins.

In the dead of night, the shadows of the willow trees in the western corner of the courtyard were sparse and oblique, and the moonlight soaked the ground like frost.

Ouyang Qing held her breath and tiptoed around the corridor. Afraid of making a sound with her shoes, she secretly took off her embroidered shoes and carried them in her hand.

Her plain socks were damp with the warmth of the summer night. She treaded lightly on the blue bricks, not daring to make a sound. She had also removed the pearl hairpins from her temples and was wearing only a light pink soft shirt, which made her appear even more gentle and graceful in the moonlight.

As soon as she approached the willow tree, she saw a man leaning against it; it was none other than Xie Mo, the young hero she was looking for.

Seeing her like this, Xie Xiaoyi felt sorry for her and reached out to help her up, saying, "You're so careful."

Ouyang Qing's cheeks flushed under his gaze. She quickly hid her embroidered shoes behind her sleeve, her plain socks barely touching the ground as she swayed slightly. "I'm afraid... afraid of startling the people in the manor..."

A breeze rustled the willow branches, and a leaf touched the tip of her hair. Xie Xiaoyi raised his hand to brush it away for her, his fingers brushing against her temples, his fingertips deliberately brushing against her earlobe.

Ouyang Qing's body trembled, and she was about to step back when her wrist was grabbed. The next second—

Xie Xiaoyi then wrapped his other arm around her waist, turned around, and pinned her against the willow tree.

The force wasn't heavy, but it left Ouyang Qing with no way to avoid it, forcing her to press herself against Xie Xiaoyi.

Ouyang Qing's heart pounded. She turned her head and lowered her eyes, then whispered a few words:

"Young Master Xie, didn't we agree that we were just going to come to the garden to tell your story?"

"My story is 'extra long,' can you handle that?"