58. Mr. Fujino

The unit prices of newspapers and magazines are relatively cheap. It’s time to read Mr. Zhang Yueping’s account of Sanmao’s Wanderings. It says that Sanmao sells one newspaper for four coppers, and two newspapers, which is cheaper, costs seven coppers.

Seven copper coins, saved on food, can feed a family for a few days. In the busiest Shanghai market, a bowl of Yangchun noodles only costs about two copper coins.

During the Republic of China, the advertising space in newspapers gradually increased. In the late Qing Dynasty, there were not many advertisements in newspapers. Therefore, the unit price of a newspaper is also extremely high, at least not something ordinary people can afford.

Because the Four Books and Five Classics have been printed in huge quantities since ancient times, the engraving printing is extremely skilled, and the content is fixed, so the selling price of a set of Four Books and Five Classics can be kept very low.

Generally speaking, block printing is cheaper than movable type printing.

Most of the newspapers and periodicals at this time used hand-type movable type for typesetting. Unlike later generations of printers, it was understandable that they were expensive.

“It’s just ordering an issue of the newspaper!”

Seeing Bai Gui's hesitation, Zhaifu smiled and said gently.

Three silver dollars were not a small amount of money at this time.

"If you are short on money for the time being, the money doesn't matter. I also have some help here. I can introduce it to you. The cost of ordering newspapers can also be reduced..."

Saifu said.

Institutions of higher education like theirs are generally not short of money, and what they are short of is big money. There is no shortage of small amounts of money to help students. However, the cost of subscribing to newspapers is expensive after all, and can only be reduced by working as a helper in the academy. In addition, when these academies order newspapers, they also purchase in large quantities and have certain bargaining power.

He knew that Bai Gui came here and was exempted from one year's tuition.

Just looking at his clothes, he doesn't look like a kid from a rich family.

"No shortage! No shortage!"

Bai Gui took out three Longyang coins from his bag, which he had exchanged at the pawn shop.

Nowadays, most places in the provincial capital use silver dollars. The previous silver coins are a bit inconvenient, especially in new places like colleges and universities, where cashiers are troublesome and have to be weighed. Therefore, students need to convert monthly tuition fees into silver dollars and then pay them at Zhaishe.

So when he arrived in the provincial capital, he went to a nearby pawn shop to exchange the silver coins he carried with him into silver dollars.

The price of silver was cheap in later generations, so he took a silver dollar to exchange for silver in later generations at will. As he went back and forth, he had more and more silver coins in his hand.

But after doing it a few times, I gave up.

Although colleagues in the industry are enemies, most of the pawnshops are quarreling with each other. Otherwise, how would this thing like a guild come about?

Zhaifu was surprised for a while and then put away the silver coins.

He took out the roster from the lacquer table, took a woolen pen designed for writing in small letters, and handed it to Bai Gui.

Bai Gui opened the roster. There were blue horizontal dots on it, but unlike later generations, there was no information to be filled in on the first vertical or horizontal grid. He had to fill it in himself.

His small regular script was filled with ink, and he began to write. While writing, he asked: "May I ask what the textbooks for the Japanese crash course are? Are they issued by the school, or do I need to go to the book store to buy them separately."

"I don't quite understand this matter. I'll take you to Shiwu Zhai later. You can just ask your classmates."

Saifu replied.

"Then...thank you very much."

Bai Gui stopped writing, rubbed his wrist, and finished writing his message.

Zhaifu frowned slightly when he saw the handwriting. The writing on the book was neat, but a little rigid. He advised, "You still need to practice your calligraphy more."

"This..., thank you for reminding me, I will definitely practice calligraphy more if I am a late student."

Bai Gui's face turned slightly red, and he was about to argue, but soon fell silent, and instead thanked Zhaifu.

Although Zhaifu was only equivalent to the faculty and staff of later schools, assisting in the management of the students and dormitories of the Normal School. But who says that the teaching staff is weaker than the students in some areas? He may not be better than Saio in calligraphy.

You must know that the Normal School is a Confucian temple close to the provincial capital. There are many steles there. Most of the calligraphy works of the past dynasties have been left there. If Zhaifu is better at writing than him, it may not be a lie...

I can only secretly say to myself that I will practice more in the future. Words are like my character. When I send greetings to some big boss in the future, if I see that my handwriting is too bad, I am afraid I will ignore it. Good handwriting can also make others look at you.

"You...have only been in school for five or six months?"

Zhaifu couldn't help but carefully observe the handwriting on the roster again, and said: "Is it possible that you made a mistake? You wrote the year instead of the month. Please change it again."

"To tell you the truth, I have only been in school for less than a year. However, I am good at memorizing and have a photographic memory. Therefore, even though I have been in school for a short period of time, what I have learned is like years."

Bai Gui said very humbly, with a hint of youthful vigor and confidence in his words.

When writing the roster, he was a little hesitant whether to write it down truthfully, but he soon firmed up his idea and wrote it down truthfully. Zishui County is not far from the Normal School, and he will know it after a little inquiry.

Although people are always used to lying, they generally hope that their children will tell the truth. Just like the twenty-four filial piety, it completely eliminates the possibility of children being unfilial due to unkind reasons from their parents.

Writing something false is equivalent to being stained.

Zhai Fuzai stared at Bai Gui carefully for a few times, took a deep breath, and suppressed the uneasiness in his heart. He was also influenced by his ears and eyes. People who are familiar with poetry and books know that there are many geniuses from ancient times to the present. One day The result is more than a year's work by others.

However, he looked at Bai Gui with a warmer expression. This was not to say that he was rude at first and respectful later, but that he was taking special care of some promising juniors. "Come on, I'll take you to eat first, and then I'll pick a room for you to stay in."

The two of them followed the corridor to the West Garden of the Normal School, which was a place for students to rest.

As for the East Corridor, it was the residence of the lecturer.

It was also lunch time, and the students who went to school had not finished their classes yet, or were on their way to the canteen.

Zhai Fu prepared food for the two of them, and they sat down at the table in the canteen.

There was no need to be polite. Bai Gui came from the inn early in the morning and was very hungry. He didn't have time to eat breakfast in the morning. He looked at the steamed white buns and a plate of fried potato shreds, and he chewed and swallowed them with big mouthfuls. He ate a mouthful of vegetables and buns, and then a mouthful of rice porridge.

There was also a small dish of braised pork on the table, and he just picked up two chopsticks at the right time.

"Eat slowly, you young people, you don't pay attention to your stomach when you are young, and when you are old, you will feel pain!"

Zhaifu chewed slowly.

At the beginning of the meal, in less than an incense stick of time, the canteen was filled with people one after another.

"Mr. Fujino, this is a new student in the Japanese crash course. May I ask what textbooks the students in your class buy?" Zhaifu was eating when he suddenly saw a middle-aged man in a straight tweed suit coming over. He stood up, invited him to sit at the same table, and asked him.