Chapter 23 Plum Blossom Fragrance
When National Day arrived at this store, it was noon. The storefront is not large, but the location is very good, located in the center of Leijiang County, adjacent to Leijiang Middle School, which is the former Leijiang Academy. The store is on a corner, and the surrounding buildings block most of its sunlight. There were no customers in the store, so there was no need to turn on the lights, making the interior very dim. A salesperson sat at the counter, dozing off.
After Yu Xinrui's eyes adapted to the dim environment in the store, he found that it was a store selling "four treasures of the study" and student cultural supplies, with large stacks of paper placed in the most eye-catching position.
The National Day holiday was spent tapping on the glass counter, where a sleepy salesperson was startled awake. He stood up, rubbing his sleepy eyes and yawning impatiently, asking: "What do you want to buy? Hurry up!"
National Day is a bit unhappy: "We are police, want to come to you to understand a little situation!"
The shop assistant seemed to be stunned, rubbed his eyes, and the face that was just disdainful suddenly burst into a smile: "Police comrades! Hello, is there anything I can help you with?"
Yu Xinyuan took out a cigarette from his pocket and handed one over: "Nothing, just passing by, thought I'd drop in for a chat."
The shop assistant took the cigarette, squinted his eyes, saw that it was "Peony Brand", and became even more polite. He immediately turned on the daylight lamp in the room and said with a smile: "Okay, okay!"
Under the lamp light, Yu Xin Yuan clearly saw that the shop assistant was an old man in his 60s, with a face full of vicissitudes, but still couldn't hide the shrewdness of a businessman. Yu Xin Yuan knew in her heart that this must be a small owner or store employee who had been retained after the public-private partnership.
"This dish is delicious! It must be a long-established restaurant!" Yu Xin said as he looked around.
The shop assistant's eyes lit up: "This comrade has a good eye for things, are you also in business?"
Yu Xin waved his hand: "I just think this location is great! I'm clueless when it comes to doing business."
"Comrade, you don't know! This store before liberation was the famous 'Mei Xuan Zhai'. It was a joint venture between two big families in Lei Jiang - Mei and Lu. At that time, they operated the 'Four Treasures of the Study' - 'Xuan paper, Huī ink, Hú brush, and Shè stone'. Because of the many varieties, large quantities, and good quality, merchants from up and down the river came here to wholesale and place orders. In Anhui, Jiangxi, and Hubei provinces, it was a well-known brand. Back then, cultural people took pride in owning 'Mei Xuan Zhai' branded 'Four Treasures of the Study'. Every year, they could bring in tens of thousands of taels of silver profit to Mei and Lu families. In those days, this place was bustling with carriages and horses, and scholars and guests came and went without end." The salesperson became more and more excited as he spoke, as if he had returned to the prosperous times of the past.
Yu Xinfang didn't catch the salesperson's drift, so he shook his head and sighed: "What a pity! After the devils occupied Leizhou in 1938, the Mei and Lu families suffered a disaster. The masters all died, the apprentices scattered, and the business was severely damaged. After the victory of the War of Resistance, Young Master Lu returned, but he didn't take over the family business. Instead, he devoted himself to education, and 'Mei Xuan Zhai' never recovered. After Liberation, it became a joint public-private enterprise, and the sign of 'Mei Xuan Zhai' was removed, replaced by 'Workers', Peasants', and Soldiers' Cultural Goods Store'. Business plummeted even further!"
He suddenly realized who he was talking to and felt that he had misspoken, so he hastily changed his words: "Now the store is operating revolutionary stationery, serving the revolution, it's all good!"
"What's the main business in your store now?"
"The main thing is stationery for students, such as erasers, pencils, rulers and compasses. We also sell some 'Four Treasures of the Study', but nowadays fewer people use brushes, so we don't pay as much attention to quality as before, and there are fewer varieties."
"Do you sell incense?" Yu Xin asked directly.
"We have only one kind of incense here, that is 'Plum Blossom' incense which I and this police comrade talked about this morning." The salesperson replied.
"Are there specific customers for this? I mean, people who specifically buy this kind of incense?" Yu Xin asked further.
The shop assistant smiled: "Comrade police, you are outsiders and may not know that this incense was originally a private product of the Mei and Lu families, mainly supplied to the masters of the two families and the dignitaries of Lei Jiang for incense use, so the materials were extremely particular, and the output was not large. After the Japanese came, both the Lu and Mei families suffered greatly, so this incense was lost." When he said this, the shop assistant suddenly became hesitant.
"What kind of incense are you selling now?" Seeing the salesperson suddenly stop talking, Guo Qing seemed a bit anxious.
He understood in his heart though they were far apart, took out a "Peony" cigarette and handed him another one.
The shop assistant took it with both hands, thanked him profusely, and continued: "After the recovery of Lei Jiang Guang, the original factory masters wanted to continue production, but they never succeeded. After the public-private partnership, it also disappeared. However, during the ** period, big-character posters were popular, and ink was in short supply. To prevent corrosion, these large-scale machine-produced inks all contained chemical preservatives, which had a foul odor. In order to cover up the stench of the ink, someone thought of this incense again and re-formulated it for production. After continuous improvement, it basically met the fragrance of that year. Because the incense contains precious medicinal materials such as agarwood and menthol, lighting it has a refreshing air and brain-awakening effect. Therefore, many parents of high school students also come to buy this incense to help their children review for the exam. Even schools from other provinces have come to purchase in bulk, although the price is relatively expensive, but sales are still very good, which is the main source of profit for this store."
He thought to himself: This scope has expanded quite a bit! However, at least it shows that the murderer should be an educated and cultured person, and the possibility of being a local in Leijiang is the greatest. The possibility of drifting and committing crimes or impulsive murder can basically be ruled out!
After learning about the situation from the salesperson, Yu Xin Yuan almost bumped into someone when he was leaving the store.
The two of them stared at each other in shock and were both stunned into silence.
"Think of it?!"
"How can you be so heartless?!"
"Has Xin Yuan also started to like calligraphy and painting?" Ruzi Xia asked.
Yu Xin Yuan said: "Alright, don't you know me? The little bit of ink in my belly was given by you. There's no elegance of calligraphy and painting, just taking a casual stroll! You're here..."
Lü Sīxiá explained: "In the county, according to policy, some 'old brands' are encouraged to restore their original names and business. Many comrades in charge of shops asked me to rewrite their signboards for them, so I came here to pick out some good paper and ink."
Yu Xin suddenly remembered something and said: "Just right, I want to find Fang Zhengwu to understand some situation of Cuicloud Temple, can Si Xia accompany me again?"
"Cui Yun An?" Lu Sihao was taken aback for a moment, then said: "Recently I've been quite busy and haven't had time to accompany you all. Fang Zhengwu, you all know each other, he's an enthusiastic person, just tell him I sent you to find him, he'll definitely give you a warm welcome!"
