Upon securing twenty taels of silver in the blink of an eye, Dong Rende was elated. Ten taels were simply ten taels; after all, it was currently a seller's market, and a straightforward deal at that. What did he have to fear?
Just now, in a collaborated performance with Lin Wanrong, Dong Qiaoqiao, dressed in men's attire, stood beside Dong Rende, smiling as she addressed Lin Wanrong, "Brother Lin, mind your language."
Lin Wanrong chuckled, "Whatever one thinks in their heart, they should act accordingly. This is a true reflection of one's genuine nature."
Dong Qiaoqiao smiled sweetly, gazing at him without uttering a word.
Lin Wanrong turned to Dong Rende, "Uncle Dong, what are we waiting for? Pure silver is awaiting us."
Dong Rende's eyes gleamed with a beastly light. Lin Wanrong and he shared a hearty laugh before heading straight into the crowd of scholars.
Lin Wanrong firmly believed that they would soon become the most welcomed figures among these scholars.
Drawing from their previous successful marketing experiences, Old Master Dong had also learned a thing or two. Their previous transaction had already caught the attention of the surrounding scholars, so as soon as they appeared, they were surrounded and besieged by eager talents.
"Brother, is this the self-portrait of Miss Xiao from the Xiao family?"
"Brother, any internal information about Miss Xiao?"
"Brother, any internal information about Miss Xiao's younger sister?"
"Brother, any internal information about Mrs. Xiao?"
Lin Wanrong broke into a cold sweat. It turned out that the psychology of all men was the same. The Xiao family mother and daughter seemed to have become the target of everyone's desires, and everyone wanted a piece of them.
However, for Lin Wanrong, without this group of cunning guys, where would he go to make money?
Seeing more and more people crowding around, Old Master Dong and Lin Wanrong were already surrounded. The enthusiasm of the scholars burst forth, and Lin Wanrong shouted, "Don't snatch, don't snatch. This is an exclusive edition circulated within the Xiao family. Limited quantity, extremely precious. Fixed price, ten taels of silver per copy. Payment in hand, goods delivered immediately."
"No need to search." A wealthy scholar casually threw a heavy ingot of silver to Old Master Dong, snatched a booklet from his hands, and treasured it in his bosom as if it were a priceless gem.
The scholars erupted like boiling water. "I offer eleven taels, Brother, quickly sell it to me."
"I offer fifteen taels—"
"Twenty taels—"
Old Master Dong and Lin Wanrong were squeezed in the middle. Both of them were sweating profusely, and in the blink of an eye, dozens of booklets they had used for trial marketing were snatched away.
Fortunately, Lin Wanrong acted quickly. He had already instructed Dong Qingshan to bring the remaining booklets, satisfying the scholars' frenzied demand. By noon, out of five hundred booklets, only a dozen remained.
Although there were thousands of scholars present, those with the financial capability to spend ten taels of silver on a romantic booklet were limited. Selling all five hundred was already beyond Lin Wanrong's expectations.
Seeing groups of scholars gathering to admire the booklet, constantly praising with admiration, it was evident that Miss Xiao's appearance deeply captivated them. Lin Wanrong secretly chuckled; he hadn't expected Miss Xiao's portrait to be so valuable.
The Dong family trio, having divided their earnings into two batches, had already transported all the silver away. Dong Rende hadn't anticipated the crazy sales of these booklets, and looking at the gleaming silver, his face blossomed with joy.
Lunch, prepared by Dong Qiaoqiao, was delivered. She was still dressed in men's clothing, sitting under a large tree. She took out the steaming dishes from the bamboo basket and said, "Brother Lin, let's eat."
Dong Qiaoqiao's culinary skills were not just talk. These various dishes were full of flavor and fragrance. Lin Wanrong swallowed a few mouthfuls of saliva and said, "Qiaoqiao, your skills are probably unmatched even by those famous chefs. I almost swallowed my tongue."
He wolfed down a few bites. Dong Qiaoqiao, blushing, looked at him and said, "Brother Lin, I'm not as good as you say. I think you are the remarkable one. Do you know, I never thought such a simple booklet could sell for so much money? There's a total of five thousand taels of silver. Father and my little brother are so happy; they don't even want to sleep at home."
Lin Wanrong smiled and shook his head. This old Dong had probably never seen so much silver in his life.
Lin Wanrong didn't attach too much importance to money, whether it was a million or a single coin. However, seeing Dong Qiaoqiao's joyful appearance, he felt a bit pleased. He laughed and teased, "In that case, Miss Qiaoqiao, your dowry is quite substantial. When you find a satisfactory husband, don't forget my kindness."
Blushing, Dong Qiaoqiao lowered her head and said, "Brother Lin, you don't have to make fun of me."
Lin Wanrong, with his thick skin, laughed heartily again. This girl was too young; how could she understand these things?
Talking about shamelessness and thick-skinned demeanor, Dong Qiaoqiao was no match for the sly Lin Wanrong. The young girl could only cover her face with both hands, not daring to let him see the blush on her face.
"On the other hand, the reason is that our book has been pirated." After laughing for a while, Lin Wanrong turned serious and pointed to a few guys in the distance who were sneakily selling copies to the scholars.
"So soon?" Dong Qiaoqiao exclaimed.
Coincidentally, a scholar next to them bought a pirated copy. Dong Qiaoqiao roughly glanced at it; it was simply a copy of Lin Wanrong's booklet, hastily reproduced. Due to rushed production, the ink had not yet dried, the paper was rough, and the writing and portrait were unclear.
"This is far inferior to ours," Dong Qiaoqiao pouted.
"It is indeed inferior, but theirs is cheap, one or two taels of silver per copy. Hehe, for those poor scholars, it is still quite attractive. Well, let's leave the low-end market to others; we are doing high-end business. We should leave some food for others. After all, we must give others a chance to make a living."
Lin Wanrong laughed, but there was a bitter taste in his heart. Damn, I plant the tree, and you guys enjoy the shade. These pirates are really ungrateful. May God bless them with two little tails when they have sons.
Originally, he was prepared to print more, but less than three hours after the first booklet was sold, he saw the pirated versions. He hadn't expected that in this era, piracy was just as rampant. These guys were too fast, making Lin Wanrong feel bitter.
Although Lin Wanrong didn't value money too much, no one would dislike having more money.