After asking, Yang Mo went straight back to the inn.
Watching his swift and decisive figure, Song Qiming sighed with emotion.
"Yang Ruiping values Yang Cenan the most among his sons."
Song Jinzhao ordered people to carry the chests into the warehouse.
"The more he values him, the more urgent his other two sons will become. They're bound to stir up trouble again."
There were undercover guards watching outside the inn. Yang Mo left Suining City early the next morning with his men, and the guards returned to report to Song Jinzhao.
"After the noon meal, Yang Mo took his men and spent nearly an hour strolling along Tongbao Street, where the three streets had already been paved with cement roads."
"He also went to the cement factory outside the city. After being chased away by the guards, he wandered around outside for most of the day before leaving."
Song Qiming slammed his palm on the ground, pacing anxiously in place.
"He's definitely trying to steal the formula!"
Song Jinzhao sat steadily, calmly setting down his teacup.
"What's the rush? In the short term, they won't be able to replicate it. Once we start selling cement after the new year at a low price, no one will be fixated on the factory anymore."
Thinking of Li Zhidao, who had left a few days earlier, Song Qiming stopped in his tracks.
"By then, Songzhou City and other places will all want to buy. Will the production be enough?"
Song Jinzhao: "We're already working overtime. I plan to expand the factory and hire another batch of workers in a month."
Until spring arrived, the common folk were idle at home, so there'd be no shortage of applicants.
Seven days later, at the door of the bookshop, Manager Lou set off for Songzhou City with ten thousand copies of "The Complaint Record" and ten thousand copies of "The Tale of Qin Niang."
After watching him leave, Song Anhao instructed the workers to send a hundred copies each to three bookstores in the city for sale.
Three days later, flipping through the order forms from the three bookstores, Song Anhao's pupils dilated as he turned to the temporary manager.
"The hundred copies we sent last time are all sold out?"
The manager beamed, nodding with a flushed face.
"They were all sold out by yesterday afternoon. The newly ordered six hundred copies were delivered this morning."
"The managers of all three bookstores said that when female customers came in with the flyers, not one left empty-handed. I wonder how things are going in Songzhou City?"
Looking up at the copy of "The Tale of Qin Niang" placed on the corner of his desk, Song Anhao's expression was dazed.
"It really turned out just as my eldest sister predicted. This book is even more popular than 'The Complaint Record.'"
Selling more in three days than half a month’s worth of "The Complaint Record" left Song Anhao utterly astonished.
"The County Princess has excellent taste. This time, we're sure to make a profit."
At this moment, the manager’s admiration for Song Jinzhao had soared to the skies. After years of losses at the bookshop, hope had finally arrived.
Hearing the words "make a profit," Song Anhao's mind gradually cleared.
He paced back and forth with his hands clasped behind his back, imitating the demeanor of an adult. Finally, he clenched his fist as if he had made a decision.
"Tell the workers to stop all current printing tasks and focus entirely on printing twenty thousand more copies of 'The Tale of Qin Niang.' Also print another five thousand copies of 'The Complaint Record.'"
"Yes, sir. I'll see to it right away."
The temporary manager practically floated out the door, moving with a lightness never seen before.
Song Anhao returned to his seat behind the desk.
He picked up the copy of "The Tale of Qin Niang" again, opened it, and began reading while taking notes.
He had to figure out what made this book so captivating. Otherwise, how could he avoid missing the mark if he encountered another like it?
Meanwhile, a hundred li away, Manager Lou was visiting the proprietors of bookstores he knew, carrying the novels with him.
After reading both books, each bookstore owner placed orders for one or two hundred copies.
But even so, the twenty thousand copies he had brought still left a large surplus.
With a command, he began distributing flyers outside academies and private schools, following Song Anhao’s instructions.
Since "The Tale of Qin Niang" targeted female readers, Song Anhao had also tailored the outreach accordingly.
At shops selling clothes and jewelry, whenever they saw women, they handed out flyers, accompanied by highly enticing pitches that easily piqued people's curiosity.
