The brothers made their way to the western end of town. Tang Yi looked up at a weathered sign bearing the name Broad Horizons Bookshop. The shop itself was small and shabby, decidedly less impressive than Phoenix Arrival Bookshop.
Inside, there wasn't even a shop assistant. An elderly proprietor in his fifties or sixties served customers himself. He saw the brothers' patched, coarse-cloth clothes and could undoubtedly smell the sweat of a day's labor, but he said nothing about it. Instead, he smiled pleasantly and asked, “What can I get for you gentlemen?”
Tang Yi asked about the prices of paper and brushes and looked around as the proprietor answered. The shop was tiny, and much of the stock was old. Many books had curling pages. Two plainly dressed students stood reading in a corner, and the proprietor made no attempt to stop them.
The paper and brushes here were slightly cheaper than at Phoenix Arrival, though their quality was also a little lower. The proprietor's manner was excellent. He asked Tang Yi a few questions and, on learning that the young man could not yet recognize characters but sincerely wanted to study, seemed rather impressed.
“It's good for a young man to want to improve himself. Unfortunately, this little shop operates on a narrow margin, so I truly can't lower the prices any further. Still, if you're interested, you're welcome to read books here. Many are too worn to sell, but they're perfectly readable. One copper coin per book will do.”
Tang Yi was moved. Such an honest shopkeeper was rare. He stayed to chat a little longer. “Sir, what sort of books do you have?”
“The Three Character Classic, Hundred Family Surnames, and Thousand Character Classic for beginners, as well as the Four Books and Five Classics. But I only have two sets of those, so they must be read here and can't be taken away. There are some popular stories and plays too. Those are our favorites.”
Tang Yi nodded and asked, “How do you make a profit doing business this way?”
