allonlinenovel Chapter 223 Wen Shuxuan's Proposal
Chapter 223 Wen Shuxuan's Proposal
The next day
Wen Zongji got up as usual and practiced his health-preserving boxing a few times. After finishing, he saw a row of small snowmen of Pei Rujing in various poses on the corridor railing. There were also two large snowmen in the courtyard, whose expressions resembled Wen Zongji and Pei Rujing.
Seeing this, Wen Zongji's lips curled up slightly.
Suddenly, everything felt wonderful.
With the arrival of a heavy snowfall, the weather in the capital became even colder, and Pei Rujing had not been to the newspaper office for several days.
The newspaper business wasn't delayed at all, since Mao Zheng was still there.
Moreover, "Floating Life" is a serialized storybook. The first issue received an excellent response, so it can continue to be serialized. Unlike the Beijing Daily, it doesn't need to review so many manuscripts each time to determine the content of the next issue.
However, the newspaper editors weren't exactly idle either; they needed to check for typos and grammatical errors in the manuscripts, and also arrange the layout.
In addition, they are also reviewing some submissions, since they can't rely on these two storybooks to make a living forever, and they definitely need to plan ahead.
Several days later, the sales of "Floating Life" had stabilized, and its readership had been basically determined. It became a favorite of various restaurants and teahouses, and was even more valued than the Beijing Daily.
Because storytellers speak with more passion, and storybooks have stories and plots, making them more attractive to people.
On this day, Wen Shuxuan and Madam Wei came to Yunguang Courtyard together.
Wen Shuxuan handed the manuscript to Pei Rujing: "Third Sister-in-law, this is a story we think is pretty good."
Pei Rujing took it and put it aside: "I'll check it later. How's the newspaper office been these past few days?"
Wei said, "Everything is as usual... Little sister, you went to great lengths to bring the two of us into the newspaper office, saying it would keep you company. We go to the newspaper office every day to review manuscripts, but you've been absent for several days."
Pei Rujing coughed lightly: "Well... wouldn't it be perfect if you two kept each other company?"
Wei: "...You can talk."
"It's not that I want to be lazy. It's just that the roads are difficult to travel on because of the snow."
Wen Shuxuan said, "The snow on the road has mostly melted."
Pei Rujing understood the implication and narrowed her eyes: "Fine, so you came here pretending to deliver the manuscript, but your real intention is to urge me to return to the publishing house, right?"
Wen Shuxuan and Madam Wei exchanged a glance but neither spoke.
"Don't worry, even if you didn't come, I was planning to go to the newspaper office tomorrow anyway."
As the editor-in-chief of a newspaper, how could Pei Rujing not be attentive when managing a shop for the first time?
Wen Shuxuan said, "Third Sister-in-law, recently we've been receiving a lot of letters from readers asking about the plot developments of the stories, as well as their appreciation of the stories and the authors. We're almost overwhelmed with letters; what should we do?"
Pei Rujing raised an eyebrow: "Is that so? It seems they have a new crush. Ruijintang must have encountered something like this before, right? How did they handle it?"
"Manager Mao said that letters are usually given to the author, since most letters are written to the author."
"Then let's do it that way. As for the letter to the newspaper... it was a token of our goodwill, so let's find a place to put it away."
Wen Shuxuan, however, had a different idea: "Third Sister-in-law, I was thinking, could we select one letter from those that is particularly heartfelt and dedicate a small section to publishing it in 'Floating Life' as a way of thanking readers for their love of the book?"
Pei Rujing listened thoughtfully: "That's a good idea. Everyone hopes their feelings will be reciprocated... However, this means we'll receive more and more letters in the future, and just reading them will take a lot of time. Do we have enough people to handle that?"
Wei said, "That's easy. We can just hire more people. Anyway, there are still many empty seats in the main hall. Besides, reading letters is easier than reviewing manuscripts, so we can lower the requirements a little and it will be easier to hire people."
Pei Rujing nodded: "Okay, let's do it that way. But we don't have to publish readers' letters every issue... Hmm, let's make it once every two weeks. That way, we won't need to hire too many people, and we won't have to worry about putting the cart before the horse."
"The recruitment process will be handled by Zheng Shaohui."
"it is good."
Pei Rujing then looked at Wen Shuxuan: "Little sister, feel free to say whatever you want in the future. I hope that Fusheng Newspaper will get better and better."
Wen Shuxuan nodded.
Afterwards, Pei Rujing invited the two to have lunch at Yunguang Courtyard before they left.
Pei Rujing asked Granny Feng, "Granny, don't you think my sister-in-law looks much better?"
Granny Feng said, "This old servant also sensed it. Perhaps it's because they have things to do that they don't have the mind to think about anything else."
Pei Rujing sneered: "In the Duke Pei's mansion, my sister-in-law is the eldest young mistress. Since my mother is not in charge of the household affairs, my sister-in-law should be in charge of the household. But that person is muddle-headed and handed over the power of household management to a concubine. My sister-in-law has nothing to do in the mansion, so it's natural that she's prone to overthinking."
Granny Feng sighed, "I've heard that women are more likely to conceive when they are in a good mood. The eldest young mistress hasn't been able to conceive for several years, and this may be one of the reasons."
Pei Rujing was even angrier: "The dignified Duke Pei has no sense of propriety at all. He deserves to be kicked out of the court by his uncle."
Seeing that Pei Rujing's face was red with anger, Granny Feng quickly changed the subject: "The eldest young lady seems to be a quick-witted person."
Pei Rujing said, "Indeed, I just wanted someone to keep me company, but I didn't expect to have such an unexpected gain."
……
After finishing her lunch and taking a short rest, Pei Rujing began to look through the manuscripts that Wen Shuxuan and the others had sent her.
They are indeed well-written, but there is still a gap between them and the currently serialized version of "Floating Life".
If these stories were serialized later, readers would inevitably think that the quality of "Floating Life" had declined, which would be detrimental to the newspaper's reputation.
After thinking it over, Pei Rujing decided not to use these drafts.
The next day, after having breakfast, Pei Rujing took a carriage to the newspaper office.
Zheng Shaohui stepped forward and said respectfully, "Your Highness, Madam Zhao said that Your Highness instructed me to recruit people to read the readers' letters and select the best ones."
Pei Rujing corrected: "It's not about choosing the best-written piece, but about selecting the one that expresses the most genuine feelings."
They're not selecting stories or excellent articles; writing style isn't the point. The sentiment is what matters most.
"Any requirements?"
Pei Rujing said, "Just ensure fairness and avoid favoritism."
Zheng Shaohui nodded: "I understand."
Pei Rujing handed him yesterday's draft again: "None of these are up to standard."
Zheng Shaohui didn't ask why, but simply took the manuscript and said, "I will relay the county magistrate's reply to the other editors."
These manuscripts were all selected by the editors, and Pei Rujing always made sure the editors knew when she returned them.
Pei Rujing nodded and returned to her office.
The other editors all looked at Zheng Shaohui with admiration: "Brother Zheng, I admire your composure in facing the county magistrate so calmly."
They were all intimidated by Pei Rujing's status and aura; when Pei Rujing passed by, they didn't even dare to look up.
Zheng Shaohui laughed and said, "The county princess isn't a monster."
He was actually hesitant at first, but after a few encounters, he realized it wasn't a big deal. Pei Rujing wouldn't lose her temper with them for no reason.