HCB Chapter 205 Buying Gifts
Chapter 205 Buying Gifts
"I'm not going anywhere. I just want to get some fresh air."
"We are about to leave the capital. Do you need to buy anything?" Gu Jingzhi asked.
Li Xi thought for a while and said, "Let's go out for a walk. When I come to Beijing, I really need to bring some gifts back.
Let’s go buy some writing brushes, ink, paper and inkstone for Hu Zi first.”
It was time to go back, and she remembered that she had a younger brother studying at the border. Well, since she had come all the way to the capital, she had to bring him some souvenirs and local specialties.
Gu Jingzhi naturally responded to everything.
Li Xi ate the apple in his hand in a few bites, threw the core under the tree, and followed Gu Jingzhi out of the general's mansion.
Gu Jingzhi had lived in the capital for many years and naturally knew the city much better than Li Xi. Knowing that she wanted to buy study supplies for Hu Zi, he went directly to the most famous Mo Wenxuan in the capital on her behalf.
"Mo Wen Xuan is the most famous stationery store in the capital. Let's go in and take a look."
"Let's go."
As you walk into the store, you can smell the scent of ink and paper. It seems like a really good place.
The shop owner obviously knew Gu Jingzhi. As soon as he saw them, he came out from the counter with a smile and came towards them.
"General, thank you for your patronage. Our shop is truly honored. I wonder what you would like to purchase?" The shopkeeper was respectful but not flattering.
"You are too polite, boss. I came here to bring some study treasures to my younger brother."
Li Xi stood beside Gu Jingzhi and watched them greet each other. After a few glances, she felt bored and looked towards the store. She didn't know whether it was due to the time or some other reason, but there were not many people in the store at the moment. A few people were looking at the merchandise on the shelves under the guidance of the waiter.
"...No problem. Come this way, please." The shopkeeper personally received them and took them to the main shelf in the middle.
Li Xi naturally followed Gu Jingzhi closely. Judging from the arrangement and quality of the shelves, the goods on the shelves that the shopkeeper took them to should be of the best quality.
She leaned slightly closer to Gu Jingzhi and whispered, "Huzi is still young and has just started school, but for the enlightenment stage, you don't need to use too good a one."
It’s not that she was picky, but she felt it was unnecessary. When she first started practicing calligraphy, she used large newspapers.
Gu Jingzhi nodded and said nothing.
Walking to the shelf, the shopkeeper introduced the goods on the shelf like a treasure.
"General Gu, young lady, I'm not bragging, but the four treasures of the study at our Mo Wenxuan are famous for their complete variety and high quality." The shopkeeper took a few rolls of paper from the shelf and introduced them one by one.
“You two can try it out. This is Xuan paper, which is known for its soft and tough texture, smooth like jade, resistance to moths and rots, and its ever-changing ink tones.
This is Kaihua paper. Although the paper is thin, it is extremely tough.
This is Laoban paper, which is also a kind of Xuan paper, but it is thinner than Yuban Xuan, white in color and soft in texture.
These are the ones most used by dignitaries. "
After listening to the shopkeeper, Li Xi touched it with interest and said, "This rice paper is really good. Take a couple of cuts."
"okay……"
Before the shopkeeper finished speaking, Li Xi said, "Take out your worst papers and let me see them."
"……what?"
Hearing this, the shopkeeper was stunned for a moment, suspecting that he had heard it wrong.
Li Xi: …
Gu Jingzhi's lips curled up, and Li Xi repeated it again.
The shopkeeper confirmed that he had heard correctly, apologized, asked to wait a moment, and then went to the back of the counter to find a few rolls of paper.
After finding the paper, the shopkeeper came over breathlessly holding the paper.
Li Xi looked at the shopkeeper who was breathing heavily and holding a pile of cheap paper with a smile on his face, and couldn't help but glance at Gu Jingzhi beside him. It seemed that his face was very useful.
"Girl, look, these kinds of paper are relatively cheap."
Li Xi raised her eyebrows. Seeing what the other person said, he didn't say cheap or inexpensive, but rather said the price was low. The same meaning, but different words, would give people different feelings. This is the art of language.
"This is straw paper: a mixed paper made mainly of leather and supplemented by straw. The paper is light yellow in color, as thin as a cicada's wing, soft and tough.
This is Maotou paper, also called Qian'an paper. It is mostly grayish white in color, with uneven thickness, mixed with straw sticks, and is astringent. The back is rough and lumpy.
This is rough-edged paper, beige in color, glossy on the front, slightly astringent on the back, slightly brittle in texture, and slightly less tough;
The prices of these three types of paper are relatively low, but of course their quality is slightly lower.”
Li Xi also touched it. In fact, there was no need to touch it. One could see the difference between this batch and the previous one with the naked eye. After all, the price was there.
The amount of paper that the shopkeeper brought this time was obviously more than before. In fact, it is understandable. Precious paper is naturally rare and valuable, so this kind of low-priced paper will naturally be sold in large quantities.
Li Xi estimated that these three types of paper stacked together would be about half a meter high.
"Pack these up."
The quality of the paper is not a problem. You can take it back and let Hu Zi practice calligraphy, so he doesn't need too good paper.
Among the four treasures of the study, Li Xi had no intention of spending a lot of money on paper and ink. He wanted to buy some good ones and then some cheaper ones, as they were all consumables after all.
However, she did plan to buy Hu Zi a decent inkstone and some good quality brushes.
Hearing Li Xi say to wrap everything up, the shopkeeper glanced at Gu Jingzhi who was standing beside her. Seeing that he had no objection, he called the servant and asked him to get a few more large sheets of oil paper to wrap the things.
Later, Li Xi bought Hui ink and affordable ink according to her plan. She also bought a Duan inkstone for herself and Hu Zi, and finally bought ten Hu brushes.
Although Li Xi bought a lot of cheap things, she also bought a lot of expensive things. So when she calculated it all, she found that the amount of silver she spent here was not less at all, a total of 237 taels.
After the bill was settled, Gu Jingzhi was about to pay, but Li Xi held his hand and said, "I'll do it myself. This is what I bought for Hu Zi. What's the point of asking you to pay?"
As she spoke, she took out a silver note from her purse and handed it to the shopkeeper. The shopkeeper glanced at Gu Jingzhi, took the silver note from Li Xi's hand, and quickly made the change.
"Can't we just count it as something we bought together?" Gu Jingzhi said.
Li Xi looked at him and said, "No, this is my idea. You can decide what you want to buy for him."
Li Xi did not refuse him from buying things for Hu Zi. After all, their relationship was there. Could she stop Gu Jingzhi from buying things for her brother-in-law?
Gu Jingzhi smiled and said, "Okay."
After instructing the shopkeeper to deliver the items directly to the general's residence, Gu Jingzhi left with Li Xi.
After leaving Mo Wenxuan, Gu Jingzhi took Li Xi to the south of the city. Seeing him so purposeful, Li Xi asked him curiously, "Where are you going?"
Gu Jingzhi smiled and said, "Go buy a gift for my brother-in-law."
Hearing him say this, Li Xi became curious, "What are you going to buy for him?"
"You'll know when you get there." Gu Jingzhi kept it a secret.