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Chu Qingzhi once treated Wei Yanqi for an illness, and he had always been grateful for that. Hearing her voice now, he hurried over to open the door, beaming with a smile, “Miss Qingzhi, what brings you to grace my doorstep today?”

Both being straightforward people, Chu Qingzhi got right to the point, “I have a small favor to ask of Third Master Wei.”

Welcoming both Chu Qingzhi and Chu Feng into his study, Wei Yanqi offered them seats, “Please, sit. Miss Qingzhi, speak freely. I’ll help however I can without any hesitation.”

“I own a paper mill that has accumulated five hundred sheets of xuan paper. I was wondering if you might need some here?”

After explaining, Chu Qingzhi pulled out a few sample sheets from her bag and handed them to Wei Yanqi, “This is the paper produced by our workshop. Please, have a look.”

Having dealt with stationery and the Four Treasures of the Study for years, Wei Yanqi could instantly tell the quality of the paper Chu Qingzhi offered him, “There’s no need to speak of the quality of your paper. The question is, how do you intend to price it?”

With paper prices in the county’s workshops on the rise, and Wei Yanqi himself feeling the pinch, Chu Qingzhi’s timing couldn’t be more perfect.

“The going rate for retail paper in shops is a hundred copper coins per sheet, with a wholesale price of eighty copper coins. If you buy them all, I’ll charge you seventy-five copper coins per sheet.”

Wei Yanqi thought to himself, not only is there no price increase, but it’s also five copper coins cheaper per sheet with superior quality. He found no reason to refuse, “Deal. I’ll take all five hundred sheets. Let’s go get the merchandise.”

If the paper turned out to be as good as the samples, he was prepared to sign a contract for a long-term purchase.

“Please, after you, Third Master.”

Chu Feng was astonished. Despite numerous rejections, Chu Qingzhi had clinched a deal in no time. He was utterly surprised.

Back at the workshop, Chu Qingzhi led Wei Yanqi to the storeroom to inspect the goods, “Third Master, the quality is consistent across all sheets. Feel free to examine them.”

The workshop produced large sheets of paper, measuring one and a half meters each way, requiring cutting before use.

Wei Yanqi carefully inspected the paper, growing more pleased by the moment, “Miss Qingzhi’s goods are reliable.”

Chu Qingzhi replied with a smile, “We aim for long-term business and value our reputation highly.”

“Very wisely said, Miss.”

“If there’s no issue, I’ll arrange for the delivery right away,” Chu Qingzhi offered.

“That would be much appreciated, Miss Qingzhi.”

With a polite smile, Chu Qingzhi signaled to Chu Feng, “Please take Third Master to settle the account.”

“This way, please, Third Master.” Selling something for the first time filled Chu Feng with joy.

Wei Yanqi nodded at Chu Qingzhi before following Chu Feng.

Chu Qingzhi called the delivery workers into the storeroom, “Be careful when counting the sheets. Bundle every twenty with a paper strip and then load them onto the cart.”

“Yes.”

After loading the paper onto the cart, Chu Qingzhi added an extra five sheets for good measure, aiming to leave a positive impression on their first sale.

Following the payment, Wei Yanqi immediately signed a contract to deliver a thousand sheets of paper monthly to the school, leaving Chu Feng so overjoyed he couldn’t contain his grin.

Impressed, Chu Feng praised, “Qingzhi, you’re incredible. You cleared the stock in one go.”

“Learn well, and if you make a deal in the future, I’ll give you a bonus.”

“Oh, okay.”

In the workshop dedicated to papermaking, Chu Qingzhi was tackling the challenge of leftover scraps from the paper production process.

These scraps were essentially the bits of pulp that couldn’t be transformed into paper and remained in the vats after the bulk of the paper was made.

Having gathered half a barrel of these scraps, Chu Qingzhi brought them to an empty paper finishing room. Once inside, she shut the door to ensure she wouldn’t be disturbed and began her solitary experiment.

Xiao Zongchao, lingering at the door, offered his assistance, “Miss, may I come in and help you?”

Chu Qingzhi declined, “No need, please attend to your tasks.”

Reluctantly, Xiao Zongchao left.

Chu Qingzhi waved her hand and closed the door. She didn’t want anyone to disturb her.

She meticulously cleaned the room with a cleaning spell, then poured the scrap pulp into a vat, diluting it with a bucket of water and stirring until evenly mixed.

From her bag, she took a vial containing a clear liquid, adding it to the mixture and stirring thoroughly.

On a wooden rack in the corner were numerous small, square-shaped paper making screens, each about a foot long on each side. Chu Qingzhi used one to scoop up the pulp, gently shaking it to form a thin, wet layer of paper pulp on the screen.

She smoothly lifted the screen from the water, and with a gentle pass of her hand over it, the paper dried instantly.

The paper was very soft, but it was relatively rough. With a gentle tug, it would easily crack. It was not tough and did not meet the requirements.

Though the result was unsatisfactory, the potential was there.

Chu Qingzhi collected the paper and sat pondering by the vat.

She needed to solve the issues of roughness and lack of durability to create the paper towels she envisioned.

After some thought, Chu Qingzhi left the finishing room, locked it, and headed to the county town.

There, she visited several pharmacies, purchasing various medicinal herbs before returning home.

In the Chu Village.

Jiang Zhaoyong arrived at the Chu residence with a freshly hunted deer, calling out, “Uncle Chu, Aunt Chu, and Qingning…”

With everyone busy outside and the house empty, it was Shen Ruyue, visiting the old house for errands, who greeted him, “Zhaoyong, they’re not here.”

Jiang Zhaoyong placed the deer at the entrance and turned around to call out, “Sister-in-law.”

Shen Ruyue approached, noticing the still-bleeding neck of the deer, “Did you just hunt this?”

Jiang Zhaoyong smiled brightly. “Yes, I heard that you guys are back, so I specially went to the mountains to hunt a deer to nourish your bodies.”

Shen Ruyue thought to herself that it had been several days since their return, and Jiang Zhaoyong had not visited until hearing of Qingning’s return. She informed him that Qingning was weeding in the medicinal garden and went to call her

“Thank you, sister-in-law.”

Shen Ruyue first informed Li Qingyu, as it was inappropriate without an elder present, and then fetched Chu Qingning.

Touched by Jiang Zhaoyong’s gesture, Chu Qingning hurried back, coincidentally meeting Chu Qingzhi on her way.

When Chu Qingzhi heard this, she smiled and teased, “Jiang Zhaoyong is very well-informed.”

Realization hit Shen Ruyue, “I hadn’t thought of it until Qingzhi mentioned it. Qingning only returned yesterday afternoon, and Jiang Zhaoyong shows up today…”

Chu Qingning blushed. “You all are married or engaged, it’s time I caught up.”

Chu Qingzhi and Shen Ruyue smiled. “Indeed.”

Shen Ruyue added, “Your elder brother and second sister are married, and now it’s just Xujin and Lihua, who seemed quite smitten this morning. It seems their good news is imminent. Now, it’s your turn.”

Chu Qingning whispered, “Zhaoyong is still confined to Yunfei School, and my medical skills have just begun to improve. There’s no rush.”

Shen Ruyue smiled. “There’s no harm in getting engaged. In fact, it tends to bring peace of mind.”