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Twenty-one wooden plaques were counted on the hook above Wei Yichen's work.
Wei Yichen narrowly won by just one vote.
The shopkeeper said to Chu Lan with a smile: "Young master, I'm sorry, but you are lacking one vote. I'm going to decide that you have lost. Do you have any objections?"
“No.” Chu Lan replied, “Since we are participating in your competition, we must abide by your rules. I have no problem with the result.
"Alright, then I will announce that the one who won the first place today is this young man in white."
The shopkeeper looked at Wei Yichen with a smile.
Wei Yichen walked up to Chu Lan and made a bow: "Thank you, young master. The reason why I narrowly beat you today is most likely because my two younger sisters were also voters. Otherwise, the winner should be the young master."
"Losing is losing. You have sisters and I have a close friend here, there's nothing to say." Not only did Chu Lan not get angry, he seemed to be in a good mood, with a shallow smile at the corner of his mouth.
There was something more interesting to him than the treasured calligraphy of a Tibetan Buddhist monk.
Wei Yichen nodded and didn't say anything.
The shopkeeper put the scroll containing the calligraphy of a Tibetan Buddhist monk into a wooden box and handed it to Wei Yichen.
Then he announced: "The paper you used just now is available in the shop. If you need it, you can buy it in the shop. Each person is limited to 50 sheets per day. The quantity is limited while stocks last."
The scholars who just participated in the competition had already used Sibaozhai's writing brush and paper. The brush and ink were average, and not much different from other places, but this paper was different.
Although it was a bit more expensive than anywhere else, the quality was much better.
And that was a price that's acceptable to people who were well-off.
As soon as they heard that the purchase was limited and the quantity was limited, people immediately crowded into the shop. They were afraid that they would not be able to buy it if they were late.
In a moment, a long queue formed at the entrance of Sibaozhai, and the shop was bustling.
This was a rare scene in Xingshan County, where the economic situation was not very prosperous.
It could be seen that the people at the bottom still had a difficult time. Families who could support scholars could still afford to spend money to buy good brushes, inks, papers and inkstones.
Wei Yichen also asked his servant to queue up to buy him some more.
Not long after, the shopkeeper announced that the paper for today had been sold out, and if they still needed it, they could only come back tomorrow.
Knowing that it was sold out, those who couldn’t buy it showed disappointment.
The crowd dispersed, but Wei Qingwan was still in the midst, looking around, subconsciously searching for the figure of the noble young master just now.
Wei Yichen pulled her back: "Wanwan, what are you looking for?"
"I... I'm looking for sister......"
Wei Yichen looked around and couldn't find Wei Ruo's figure.
Wei Ruo had already walked away by the end of the competition and wandered around other nearby shops.
Wei Yichen found Wei Ruo in a candied fruit shop on the street.
Wei Ruo had just bought a few large bags of candied fruits and was ready to return.
Looking at the things Wei Ruo bought, Wei Yichen glanced at them and felt she bought too much, but instead of criticizing Wei Ruo, he said: "My sister likes to eat candied fruits. Next time I'll bring them to you, you don't have to stock up so much at once. It's not fresh after quite some time.”
Wei Yichen thought it was because Wei Ruo seldom had the opportunity to go out, so she bought so many because she was afraid that she would not have the opportunity to buy later.
Wei Ruo smiled, neither agreeing nor refuting, and followed Wei Yichen back home.
After returning, Wei Yichen asked Wei Mingting: "Father, the young master just now seems to have an extraordinary identity. Does Father know who he is?”
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