Chapter 51 Business Opportunities
It's killing me.
Su Luo fell to the ground with her mouth wide open for a long time, which made Old Li suspect that there was something wrong with her jaw joint, so he hurried over to check.
Su Luo hurriedly stood up, bowed and saluted, which scared Old Li. He hadn't seen this girl being polite in the several days they knew each other, so he couldn't help feeling a little uneasy. Then, seeing that Su Luo was holding her book so tightly that her nails turned white, he felt a little worried and reached out to take the book back first, in case it was damaged.
"Girl, book..."
"Oh," Su Luo nodded repeatedly, "I'll give it back to you." She used honorifics, but her hands didn't relax at all. Even when she handed it over, she still held it tightly. Old Li didn't dare to pull it hard, so he had to remind her again, "Girl, the book..."
"Oh oh..." Su Luo squeezed his hands even tighter.
Are you kidding! What is this? Compendium of Materia Medica! Li Shizhen's handwritten copy! How much do you think this copy can be sold for?
Well... I think it should be sold for at least 10,000 taels of silver.
Ten thousand taels? That's a pirated price. Do you know what a national heritage knowledge treasure trove is? Starting from one hundred thousand taels, there's no discount. When the old man dies in the future, he'll have to add two more zeros to the end... I won't sell it!
"Girl? Girl?" Old Li's voice sounded a little anxious. He looked at Su Luo with shining eyes and a silly smile, feeling a little flustered. "Girl, let go..."
“Haha~haha~haha~”
Perhaps it was Su Luo's perseverance that touched Lao Li, or perhaps it was because of her weird smile. Anyway, Lao Li let go. He squatted in a corner, feeling a little aggrieved, "Since the girl likes this book, I'll give it to you. I have two sets of student copies at home."
"No, no, no, that's embarrassing." Su Luo said as he put the book into his arms, "But since you insist, I'll accept it."
Old Li squatted on the ground and drew circles in silence. Su Luo was so happy that she quietly took out the book and read it carefully, repeatedly, from beginning to end. After reading it for a while, she found a problem. This "Compendium of Materia Medica" about five centimeters thick had no ending. She turned to the last page but did not see "Volume 2". Su Luo went to Old Li again and asked, "Mr. Li, how many volumes are there in this book?"
The old man looked at her resentfully, "There are fifty-eight volumes and ninety-six books in total."
Su Luo looked at him, then lowered her head to look at the book, "Is this the first one?"
The old man nodded, and Su Luo saw a pile of books appear in front of her. Finally, they were packed into a pole and carried on her back. There were people, horses, pigs and monkeys around her. The music started: You carry the pole, and I lead the horse...
Su Luo laughed dryly and respectfully held the book in his hand to the old man, "Mr. Li, I'll return the book to you."
The old man quickly took it. Su Luo then said, "Books are a way for people to understand and spread knowledge. If it is a set of books, it is useless to give only one book."
The old man's face looked a little pale, like the color of cabbage after eating too much. He pulled his beard hard, and Su Luo felt a little sorry for him.
"Copying a set of books would take at least six months or at most a year, and my students worked very hard."
The thoughts in Su Luo's mind suddenly became clear, "Mr. Li..."
The old man waved his hand and said, "You should call me Lao Li. I always feel scared when you call me sir."
Awkward, haha, embarrassing.
"Old Li, what is your ultimate purpose in writing this book?" Su Luo suddenly became serious.
"It is to improve the records of Materia Medica and carry forward the medical skills on the premise of correcting the erroneous views of our predecessors."
Su Luo nodded seriously. "Only when more people read this book can it be truly promoted. Don't you agree?"
Of course the old man nodded, "I came here this time just to invite..."
" It is certainly right to ask a celebrity to write a preface to increase the popularity of this book," Su Luo interrupted him, "but this is narrow-minded. How can we make this book available to the general public?" Su Luo consciously raised a step-by-step and thought-provoking question.
The old man stared at her for a long time without saying anything, and finally asked in a low voice: "Can I speak now?"
"Of course, I want you to tell me." Su Luo waited. As long as the old man said he didn't know, she could say agency, publishing...
“Publishing, of course.”
Su Luo's fantasy was abruptly interrupted. She winked at the old man, and the old man also winked at her, "I just wanted to say this."
"Ha..." Awkward, haha, embarrassing.
"Originally, I went to Taicang, Jiangsu to find Brother Wang Yuanmei to write a preface for this book, and I wanted to ask him to recommend it to the court and request that it be widely printed. Unfortunately, Brother Yuanmei was visiting a friend in Nanjing, so I went all the way to find him, but I missed him in Nanjing again."
Su Luo's eyes lit up as she heard another celebrity's name.
Su Luo had heard of this Wang Yuanmei. Yuanmei was a pen name, and his real name was Wang Shizhen. Of course, Su Luo knew Wang Shizhen not only because he was one of the famous "Later Seven Masters" in the Ming Dynasty literary world, but also because of a "first strange book".
Speaking of the name of this first strange book, many people may be able to smile knowingly from the bottom of their hearts. The name of "the first strange book" is "Jin Ping Mei".
Everyone knows that the author of "Jin Ping Mei" is Lanling Xiaoxiaosheng. Who this Xiaoxiaosheng is has sparked controversy among all book lovers for the next four hundred years. Among more than fifty suspects, Wang Shizhen stood out, and his votes have remained high. If nothing unexpected happens, and no one jumps out and says "I am Xiaoxiaosheng", then Wang Shizhen is destined to pay for Jin Ping Mei.
This reminded Su Luo, who frequented various forums, of another saying: Sooner or later, your vest will be stripped off.
This is how Su Luo got to know Brother Wang Shizhen. In view of the secular understanding and prejudice towards "Jin Ping Mei", Su Luo smiled evilly and touched the old man, "Has he finished the "Jin Ping Mei"?"
The old man blinked his eyes and looked at Su Luo for a long time, then continued the previous topic, "Don't you know the son of the former Henan Provincial Censor? Can you ask him to help recommend it? So that the Compendium of Materia Medica can be printed and published as soon as possible."
Su Luo was slightly disappointed, rubbed his nose, and stopped asking about "Jin Ping Mei". He took the book back from the old man and said, "Old Li, have you ever thought about not looking for an official seal and printing your own?"
