After the maidservant poured a cup of tea for the manager, he said, "Honored Guest, I heard from the clerk that you wanted to exchange these banknotes into gold and silver ingots. May I ask how you would like to exchange them?"
"I want broken silver pieces equal to ten taels of silver, and the rest will be exchanged for gold and silver ingots."
Hearing this, the manager nodded and asked, "Honored Guest, one hundred taels of silver is equal to one tael of gold. We have several types of ingots: one tael, five taels, and ten taels. How would you like them divided?"
Yao Zhi calculated for a moment before replying, "For gold, I want ten pieces of ten taels, fifteen pieces of five taels, and twenty-four pieces of one tael. The rest can be exchanged for one-tael silver ingots."
The manager nodded. "I will let my men prepare according to your request."
"Then, thank you for your help, Manager," Yao Zhi replied.
Half an hour later, several servants carried small wooden boxes into the room. The manager opened the boxes and said, "Honored Guest, please check and see if the number is correct."
Yao Zhi waved her hand. "I trust the manager. There is no need to check."
Hearing this, the manager's smile widened as he asked, "Honored Guest, where do you want us to send these?"
"Please carry them to the next alley. My man will take over from there," Yao Zhi replied.
Although the manager was doubtful, he didn't ask questions and let the servants carry the boxes out. Yao Zhi followed behind them with a distance of five steps between them.
After the servants placed the boxes down, she gave them five wen each as a reward. The servants were happy and left after thanking her.
When she was alone, she quickly stored the money in the system's shop warehouse. Only after she put everything away did she let out a sigh of relief.
She was someone who knew nothing about fighting. If someone targeted her because of this money, she would be in big trouble.
When she left, she took another road and went to the bookstore. Compared to yesterday, today's business was visibly slower. As she entered the bookstore, she saw the clerk dozing off.
Standing in front of the counter, Yao Zhi let out a cough to wake up the clerk. "Ahem!"
Her sudden cough startled the clerk, and he stood up abruptly. When he saw a woman with a veiled hat, he quickly put on a smile and greeted her, "This lady, what can I do for you?"
"Sir, I want to buy brushes, inksticks, and inkstones. I wonder what options your store has," Yao Zhi said.
Hearing this, the clerk perked up and took out several boxes filled with inksticks. As he opened the boxes, he explained, "Guest, these inksticks are the newly arrived goods. They were made with the best materials from Yuan province. There are only two hundred inksticks per month."
Yao Zhi took a look at the inksticks while the clerk went to fetch the inkstones. Compared to the inksticks produced in the modern era, the quality of these inksticks was lower.
She didn't know if she would be able to earn some money with this level of quality. But after she thought for a moment, she still chose some inksticks with a beautiful shape and unique fragrance.
When the clerk returned, he saw a pile of inkstones on the side. Placing several boxes on the countertop, he asked with a smile, "Guest, are these the inksticks you want?"
Yao Zhi nodded and said, "Show me the brushes and inkstones."
Realizing that she planned to buy more, the clerk's smile widened. He quickly put away the inksticks Yao Zhi had chosen in a box and showed her the inkstones and brushes.
While she listened to the clerk's explanation, Yao Zhi chose five inkstones and fifty sets of brushes with different sizes and shapes. When she was done, she said, "Sir, please pack these up for me."
"Alright. Guest, please wait for a moment," the clerk agreed readily.
It took him a while to pack everything and calculate the price. Twenty minutes later, he said, "Guest, I have packed up everything."
"How much is it?" Yao Zhi asked.
"It is forty-seven taels of silver."
Since she bought a lot of things, the clerk had already given her a discounted price. So, Yao Zhi didn't bargain and took out the silver from her bamboo basket.
When the clerk saw this, he was taken aback. He had never seen anyone who put their money so carelessly. While he was doubtful, he didn't say a word.
After she paid for the goods, Yao Zhi put everything into her bamboo basket and left the bookstore. Then, she went to an alley and stored everything in her auction storage. Since she needed eight hours to auction her items, she put the things she had just bought up for auction.
Afterward, she opened the system shop and bought five sets of colorful inksticks and a piece of inkstone made from Duan stone. The inksticks cost her fifty points for a set, while the inkstone cost her five hundred points.
When she was done, she went to the biggest bookstore in the town. Unlike the desolate situation in the other bookstore, this place was crowded with scholars and servants from wealthy families.
Yao Zhi stepped into the bookstore and noticed that there were more options for inksticks, inkstones, and brushes here. Even the paper sold here was also whiter and smoother compared to the one sold in other bookstores.
"No wonder this place can become the biggest bookstore," she muttered under her breath.
After she entered the bookstore, Yao Zhi went to the counter and greeted the staff. "Excuse me, sir. I want to sell some inksticks and inkstones. I wonder if I can meet with your manager."
The middle-aged man stopped calculating on his abacus when he heard this. Raising his head, he asked, "Young lady, I am the store manager. May I take a look at your goods?"