In the study rooms of Nanjiang, there were also many unique and precious books. Yun Jinnian would not bring these rare books back but instead would copy them meticulously and bind them into volumes.
This time, he brought back several chests full of them.
The ones given to Liao Shijie were all copied in Nanjiang.
There were also some in the Han Family study, but they had to be searched for.
"I’m so happy!" Liao Shijie said, picking up a few more books from beneath the others.
"’Awakening to the World through Perpetual Tales’, ’Enlightenment to the World through Didactic Tales’, ’Warning to the World through Universal Tales’, ’Shenjian’, ’Zhonglun’!" Liao Shijie’s voice trembled with each title he read out.
Yun Zihan had read some books, but she did not know about these.
Liao Shijie’s face was flushed with delight, his hands shaking slightly as he held the books, "Fourth Sister..."
He had dreamt of owning these books.
And now, Yun Jinnian had truly given him what he had long desired!
"I won’t lie to you, brother-in-law, these are not the original editions but copies. I hope you won’t find them disappointing!"
"Not at all, not at all, I will cherish them greatly!" Liao Shijie hurriedly responded, flipping eagerly through the books.
Yun Zihan couldn’t help but smile at the sight.
She had never known her husband to have such a childlike side.
Grateful, she looked at Yun Jinnian, who smiled and said, "Second Sister, let brother-in-law have a look first. Would you take me for a tour around your residence?"
Yun Zihan left a maid to attend to Liao Shijie, in case he wanted some tea, and took Yun Jinnian on a tour of the residence.
"Your brother-in-law is not usually !" Yun Zihan felt compelled to explain.
"I know. It’s good that brother-in-law is so studious. Second Sister, just wait, you’ll be the wife of an Imperially Accredited Scholar soon!"
Yun Zihan laughed, "I’ll take that as a blessing. Next year is the grand examination. I don’t dare to put too much pressure on him, but now, with these books you’ve given, he will surely gain more confidence!"
As Yun Zihan spoke, she paused briefly, "Fourth Sister, I know your maternal family has deep resources. Could you possibly..."
"It won’t work to go to my grandfather’s house, I’m afraid. My grandfather is quite reclusive. You can tell by the fact that he never hosts banquets or attends others’. However, if brother-in-law needs any books, just have him write a list and send it over. I’ll have Tianci find the books and send them. He can just copy them and then send the original books back!" Yun Jinnian spoke candidly.
Yun Zihan was also overjoyed, "That’s wonderful, though it’s a bit of trouble for Tianci!"
Unique editions are hard to come by; even copying them holds great value.
Although Liao Shijie has yet to earn an official title, having a few unique manuscripts will certainly raise his stature among scholars.
No matter how you look at it, it’s a gain for Liao Shijie.
"It’s no trouble. Tianci can come over and learn a lot from brother-in-law and the other scholars!"
"They’d consider themselves lucky!"
But Yun Zihan knew that Yun Jinnian was paving the way for Han Tianci.
Nowadays, wherever she went, she brought Han Tianci along. With Yun Jinnian as such a supportive elder sister, if Tianci was willing to work hard, his future was incredibly bright.
The sisters were close to begin with.
Having not seen each other for over a year, they had much to talk about.
Inevitably, they discussed the three shops given by the Duan Family. The original plan was to go into business together, but due to Mrs. Han’s illness and Yun Jinnian’s need to travel, they decided to rent them out.
Yun Jinnian had intended to discuss business with Yun Zihan, but seeing that she was pregnant, he decided against mentioning it.
"Running a shop is both worrisome and laborious. Jinnian, you should focus entirely on your medical skills. Your brother-in-law is preparing for the imperial examinations, and I’m with child. I’m willing, but I don’t have the capacity!"