A Maid's Survival Story in a Noble Family Mansion? Rich Landlords Are More Appealing.

After finishing their simple meal, they felt warmer. Chen Wanxing got up and led Han Feng out of the food stall.

Looking up, there were more pedestrians on the street than before. Many people were obviously waiting for the lantern festival at night. Those exquisite lanterns were already very beautiful during the day, and they should be even more exquisite after the candles were lit at night.

She's been home for so long, and her mother has been quite generous with the meals. In addition, there's what she usually buys for the family. Plus, it's the Lunar New Year, with all the guests coming and going, so the meals at home are actually pretty good. But in the end, they're all just home-style dishes.

Now that we've finally managed to get out of the house, how can we not go out to eat and treat ourselves?

Since there's nothing to do at home anyway, I might as well stay overnight in the county town and go to Jufulou, which my older brother mentioned yesterday, to join in the fun.

"Han Feng, I'm not going back tonight. I'll go to an inn and get a top-class room for the night. I can go for a stroll in town tonight. Will you come with me?"

Having made up her mind, she directly instructed, "I'll go find an inn to rest for a while. You can go back first and come pick me up at the inn at 3:45 PM."

After Chen Wanxing finished explaining, the two continued to stroll forward. Only then did she realize with some surprise that this was the same area where she had first taken her younger siblings to explore last time, and in the other direction, not far ahead, was the inn where she had stayed when she first arrived in Ruyang County.

What a coincidence! The inn we stayed at last time was alright, so there was no need to bother looking for another one. She simply took Han Feng and headed straight for the inn.

As she walked forward, she paused at a fork in the road, her eyes catching a glimpse of a familiar shop across the street: Moxianzhai.

She's already finished reading the storybook I bought last time; I wonder if there will be any new ones.

"Han Feng, wait here for a moment," she instructed, then turned and walked towards the bookstore.

Lifting the thick cotton curtain to block the wind and stepping into the shop, the noise of the outside city was immediately shut out by most of it. While blocking the wind, the thick cotton curtain also blocked some of the light, making the shop slightly dim.

Behind the counter, the lean shopkeeper was carefully repairing a missing page from a thread-bound book with a small pair of tweezers in the light. Hearing footsteps, he looked up.

"Oh, it's you, young lady." He put down his tools, stood up, and greeted Chen Wanxing. "You bought books at my shop before the New Year, and you even picked out a copy of 'Night Rain Picking Up Puppets,' is that right?"

Chen Wanxing was somewhat surprised. She hadn't expected the shopkeeper to have such a good memory. She had only been here once, yet he could still recognize her.

She nodded and walked closer to the counter: "Shopkeeper, you have a good memory! That's right. I was just passing by today and wanted to ask if there's any sequel to 'The Puppet Master's Tale in the Night Rain'?"

Upon hearing this, the shopkeeper's face immediately showed a knowing smile, but instead of turning around to get the book, he lowered his voice slightly and said:

"Your question is timely and coincidental. There is a sequel to the Record of Picking Up Puppets in the Night Rain, but it is somewhat different from Volume One."

He paused, and seeing the puzzled look on Chen Wanxing's face, he explained, "To be honest, the writing style of this book is good, and the story is novel. It's just that nowadays people prefer to read about talented scholars and beautiful women, and not many people like this kind of ghost and monster tale."

The first volume, which went on trial sale last month, sold very few copies; we didn't even recoup our costs. Our employer is now unwilling to produce any more new woodblock prints.

Upon hearing this, Chen Wanxing felt a slight pang of regret. Had she managed to catch up with a book that had been discontinued?

But then the shopkeeper continued, "However, although our printing shop will no longer continue printing, the author still wrote out the sequel and even hand-copied two volumes of the story himself. They were just delivered to our shop today, only two copies in total."

As he spoke, the shopkeeper turned around and took out an object wrapped in ordinary blue cloth from under the counter. It looked slightly thicker than a regular printed book.

He untied the cloth bundle, inside were two thread-bound booklets with plain white thick paper covers. On the right side, the elegant words "Night Rain Picking Puppet Records" were still written, and in the lower corners, "Volume Two" and "Listening to the Rain Guest" were written in tiny regular script. Apart from that, there were no other decorations.

"This is it." The shopkeeper gently pushed the book in front of Chen Wanxing. "Please take a look, young lady."

Chen Wanxing picked up the booklet, opened the cover, and saw lines of elegant and graceful handwritten small regular script.

The handwriting is neat and fluent, with even ink density, clearly showing the writer's skill and serious attitude. Although the arrangement is not as absolutely neat as the printed version, the strokes have a unique and vibrant charm.

She quickly scanned the two lines of text, which were written in that same cold and eerie style. The story continued the connection between the ancient temple on a rainy night and the mysterious wooden figure.

"It was just delivered today, and you've arrived, young lady. Isn't that fate? We'll keep a copy for ourselves as a sample. If anyone asks about it in the future, we can make a copy by hand. The copy you have here is one of the copies available for sale today."

He hesitated for a moment, then said, "However, this purely handwritten copying is time-consuming and laborious, and requires better paper and ink, so naturally it will be more expensive than ordinary printed books. This volume two will cost one tael and five mace of silver. I wonder if the young lady..."

One tael and five mace—this price is a bit expensive for a storybook, but as Chen Wanxing stroked the glossy ink on the pages, he could feel the writer's dedication.

This is no longer just about buying a story; it's more like collecting a manuscript with warmth. She already liked the tone of the story, and now it has gained an even more unique value.

The price wasn't cheap, but it was still affordable for her.

"It's alright," she put down her book and said readily. "I really enjoy reading this type of book. Besides, it's not just because of the subject matter. Most of the strange tales that describe strange objects tend to exaggerate their horror or supernatural aspects."

But in this gentleman's few strokes, he is not writing about ghosts or monsters at all. Rather, he is using these soulless things to reflect the viewer's own loneliness and bewilderment.

He could not have written such a profound piece if he did not possess a delicate compassion for all things in the world and a patient contemplation of nature.

besides……"

Chen Wanxing closed the book. "This book seems to be about strange tales and anecdotes, but it reveals a profound understanding of the subtleties of the human heart and the capriciousness of fate."

He did not pander to popular tastes or seek novelty, nor did he flaunt his literary talent. Instead, he calmly, even with a touch of detachment, unfolded the secluded world within his heart.

……

I've bought this book. Even if it were more expensive than a tael and a half, it would be worth it for someone who loves it.

The shopkeeper nodded repeatedly at Chen Wanxing's praise, his smile now showing not only the amiability of a businessman, but also the rare intimacy of a kindred spirit.

Unbeknownst to her, behind a screen at the back of the bookstore sat a young man who had already put down his teacup.

Her previously lowered eyelashes lifted, her eyes clear and bright, gazing at the slender figure outside through the gap in the screen.