Chapter 266: Refugees
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“Qingzhou Daily! Qingzhou Daily! Qingzhou Textile Workshop hiring female workers—one tael of silver a month!”
As the sun rose and the winter cold lingered, the streets and alleys of Qingzhou were already filled with the cries of newsboys. Since newspapers had gradually gained popularity in Qingzhou, even some scholars with spare money had developed a habit of reading them. With prices dropping lower and lower, buying a paper had become no big deal. Some families even bought newspapers for their school-aged children to read aloud at home.
“One tael of silver a month for working at the textile workshop? Did I hear that right?” an old man in a tattered cotton jacket muttered to himself.
Quickly, he rushed over to the newsboy and asked, “Kid, is what you said true?”
The newsboy, cheeks red from the cold, gave a clever glance and replied, “Buy a paper and I’ll tell you.”
“What? Just for asking a question?” The old man gripped his three copper coins tightly—his only money for rice.
With the newspaper business booming, the number of newsboys had increased too, and competition was fierce. No one wanted to waste words for free. Enduring the cold, the boy refused to elaborate, saying, “It’s printed in the paper. If I told you everything, how would I sell any? So, old man, do you want it or not? If not, I’m leaving.”
“Wait, wait! I’ll buy it. How much?” asked the old man.