Chapter Eight: More for the Same Price

"Yun, do you know why Boss Hu sent someone looking for me?"
Yun shook her head. "I don't know exactly. I only know that he came to the village in a hurry, anxious to see you. When he found you weren't here, he found me instead and asked me to bring you back."
"Brother Gou Ye, that delicious thing you made—I gave some to my mother. It was so tasty! How did you come up with it? Will you make it for me again sometime?"
Gou Ye grinned with pride and unconsciously reached out to stroke Yun's silky hair, agreeing as he did so. Yun felt his large hand moving gently around her head and neck, and her cheeks flushed a deep red in an instant.
Before they could enter the village, they saw Boss Hu's servant waiting anxiously at the entrance, pacing back and forth. When he spotted Gou Ye and Yun, he sprinted toward them as fast as lightning.
"Oh, sir! You're finally back. It's been such trouble looking for you. If I hadn’t heard this young lady’s mother was in this village, I wouldn't have known where to begin. Boss Hu has important business to discuss. Please come with me quickly back to town."
Before Gou Ye could react, the servant grabbed his arm, trying to pull him away. Gou Ye shook him off, frowning with clear displeasure.
"Wait a moment. You show up just to drag me away without even asking my consent. Tell me first—why did Boss Hu send you to fetch me?"
"Sir, you don't know yet. My master sold all the copies of your manuscript just this afternoon—every single one sold out. Many people are waiting eagerly for the next installment, desperate to read more, and since you didn’t bring any today, my master sent me to make sure you came to the county town to discuss things."
The servant’s words left Gou Ye rather surprised. He knew his writing would be popular, but he hadn’t expected it to catch fire so swiftly and so fiercely. Despite himself, he couldn’t help but glow with pride.
Since time was pressing, the servant had hired a carriage from the county town. Compared to an ox cart, the carriage was much smoother, with only a slight jostling. Inside, with soft cushions and no wind in his face, Gou Ye marveled at the comfort—far superior to an ox cart. He thought, if he ever became wealthy, he would buy several of these: one for business trips, one for gathering material, one for use in the village, and one for Yun and her mother, so they’d never have to endure the hardship of an ox cart again.
After some time, the servant, Gou Ye, and Yun finally arrived at the county town. Before they even reached the bookshop, they saw a crowd blocking the door, each person holding a small booklet. Suddenly, someone shouted aloud, "With lofty ambition, I feast on the flesh of the invaders; in jest, I drink the blood of the Xiongnu!" Then another quoted softly, "The little peach tree blooms of its own, with misty grass and distant crows at dusk. A few ruined walls circle an old well—once, each was someone’s home." The crowd wasn’t just reading; they were reciting out loud, each young man enraptured in his own way.

It took all three of them considerable effort to squeeze through the crowd and into the hall. When Boss Hu saw them arrive, he jumped up from his seat, grasped Gou Ye’s hands without a thought for decorum.
"Sir, you’re finally here! You’ve seen the scene at the door—it’s all because of your manuscript. Did you bring any more today? I’ve got the silver ready, plus an extra five taels for you. Let’s hand over the new pages quickly, shall we?"
Gou Ye, unhurried, drew the manuscript from his sash. Though it wasn’t much, it still made Boss Hu’s eyes light up. Just as the boss reached for it, Gou Ye pulled it back and sat calmly in a chair, clearing his throat deliberately.
"Aren’t you going to serve our guest some tea? Have you no sense?" the servant scolded himself as he hurried to the back room.
Boss Hu, eager to please, smiled and gave a slight bow. "Sir, you took the manuscript out only to put it away again. What’s your meaning?"
"I wasn’t feeling well last night, so I didn’t write much. Besides, I never promised to deliver pages every day, did I? You dragged me here in such a hurry, but my writing isn’t finished yet."
"No matter, no matter! As much as you have is enough. As long as it’s over a thousand characters, I’ll buy it all."
"To be honest, Boss Hu, you’ve always been straightforward, and I’ve enjoyed working with you. But last night, I suddenly changed my mind."
Hearing this, Boss Hu became nervous and asked tentatively, "Sir, are you planning not to work with me anymore?"
"Of course I want to continue our cooperation," Gou Ye replied, and Boss Hu breathed a sigh of relief.
"But I think we need to discuss the terms and make some changes." Boss Hu tensed again.
"What sort of changes does sir propose? I’m all ears."
Gou Ye took the teacup just delivered by the servant, skimmed the foam off with the lid in a practiced manner, blew gently, sipped slowly, then set it down and spoke.
"Boss Hu, we agreed before on ten taels of silver per manuscript—that doesn’t change; you don’t need to add an extra five. However, for every booklet you publish, I want a thirty percent royalty. Also, at the end of each month, if I deliver a full booklet, you must pay me a certain bonus. And when the entire book is finished, I want a completion reward. Otherwise, I’ll consider working with another bookshop next time. I know for a fact there’s more than one printer in this county."

Beads of sweat had appeared on Boss Hu’s forehead. This young man looked frail and poor, not particularly clever at first glance, and yet he’d come up with such shrewd terms in the blink of an eye. Losing five taels per manuscript might seem like a bargain, but if the books were published in large numbers and sold in other counties, as seemed likely, it could mean thousands of copies, not just a few hundred. A thirty percent royalty on each booklet—if each book sold for one tael, that was thirty coins per copy. It might not seem much individually, but for a hundred copies, that would be thirty taels handed over just like that. Boss Hu hesitated, at a loss for words.
Gou Ye was in no hurry; he knew businessmen well and was confident that Boss Hu wouldn’t let such a big profit slip away.
"Sir, your terms are a bit steep. Bookshops operate on thin margins, and the costs are not insignificant. Thirty percent for each booklet is hard for me to manage. And then there’s the monthly bonus and the completion reward. Fifteen taels per manuscript is already a record price in this county. I hope you’ll consider carefully."
With a cold snort, Gou Ye sat up and took Yun by the arm as if to leave.
Boss Hu hurried to pull him back into his seat. "Everything can be negotiated, can’t it?"
"Thirty percent it is, I’ll agree. At worst, I’ll earn less and make it up in volume. Now, tell me how much you want for the monthly bonus and the completion reward."
"Boss Hu, you really are a sensible man," Gou Ye said, smiling at Yun and gesturing toward Boss Hu. In his heart, he thought, Hmph, sly old fox! Making it sound like he’s losing money, as if I don’t know how cheap it is to print a book. If I had the capital, I’d run my own bookshop and keep the profit for myself.
"Boss Hu, don’t think I’m gouging you. My idea is really simple. Have you heard the saying, 'more for the same price'? Hahaha."