Steam Era: The Lord of 'Puluo'-Chapter 704 - 470 Hero Zhao Xiaowan_2

Yan Cui’er, Yan Hong’er, and Yan Qing’er, the three young ladies, had also made no small contribution. Li Banfeng gave each of them a piece of jewelry.

Li Banfeng didn’t mistreat the other young ladies either; he had clothes made for each of them.

These young ladies hadn’t seen new clothes in many years, and every one of them was overjoyed. While the Book Residence was bustling with excitement, someone on the street was suddenly heard shouting, "Get your newspapers! Get your newspapers!"

Yan Hong’er said to Tang Changfa, "Brother Fa, it’s such a good day, why not buy a newspaper?"

Tang Changfa frowned. "Didn’t I buy one for you all last month? What’s so good about that thing? Haven’t you had enough yet?"

Yan Hong’er didn’t dare to speak. Li Banfeng asked, "Is he selling a monthly paper?"

Tang Changfa laughed. "It’s not a monthly paper, just a regular newspaper. There are dailies and evening papers. I buy one issue a month for them so they know a bit about what’s happening outside."

Li Banfeng asked, "If there are dailies, why buy only one issue a month?"

Tang Changfa rubbed his hands. "This newspaper vendor has a special status. The City Lord allows him to buy newspapers outside the city and then sell them inside. He has to make a profit on the margin; he sells one paper for over one piece!"

Li Banfeng asked, "One Foreign Silver Dollar?"

"One Huan Country Banknote."

"So what?"

"That... that’s not a small amount..." Tang Changfa smacked his lips. He really felt the pinch.

Li Banfeng then remembered something: the Book Residence usually had no business and therefore hardly any income.

Where did the money for the Book Residence come from?

The money was provided monthly by Sun Tiecheng. It wasn’t a large amount, just enough for them to afford some basic food and drink.

Tang Changfa said, "Shopkeeper, we have to eat something every day. If we don’t eat at all, our bodies won’t function."

Food was a necessity to sustain their physique and cultivation level, and also to maintain their conviction.

But why didn’t Sun Tiecheng directly distribute food instead of money?

This was to keep them conscious of money and deepen their understanding of life.

Tang Changfa managed the budget tightly every month, and the food he could afford barely satisfied their hunger. A newspaper was indeed a luxury for them.

Li Banfeng went back to his Portable Residence and retrieved five hundred thousand in cash notes. He handed them to Tang Changfa, saying, "I’m not around much. You all use this money for now. Eat and drink well, and you must read the papers. You need to know what’s happening outside. To be alive means to live a proper life!"

Tang Changfa tried to refuse, but Li Banfeng frowned. "I’m just investing some money in my own family’s business. What’s wrong with that? Go and buy the newspapers first."

Tang Changfa hurriedly went to buy the newspapers. Not daring to buy too many, he only picked up two issues of the Water City Evening News.

The Water City Evening News was a well-known evening paper in Greenwater City and one of the most famous newspapers under the Ling Family Newspaper Office.

Tang Changfa gave one newspaper to the young ladies to share and the other to Li Banfeng.

Li Banfeng usually only read the front page, but the group of young ladies was eager to read the fourth page. They preferred the serialized stories in the supplement.

"Quick, quick! The ’Heroes’ Tales’ has a new installment!"

"Heroes’ Tales"? The name seemed a bit plain.

A group of young women crowded together, just to read this installment of the novel. Li Banfeng also grew curious and glanced at the supplement.

The serialized story was an excerpt from the middle, with neither a beginning nor an end, making it a bit incomprehensible to Li Banfeng.

Yan Hong’er quickly explained to the Shopkeeper, ""Heroes’ Tales’ is about the heroic Zhao Xiaowan. She took command and reorganized the Flying General Camp, her dancing Long Spear striking terror into the hearts of thieves, as she eliminated violence and restored peace with her might!"

Flying General Camp?

Da Boyins had also mentioned the Flying General Camp.

This didn’t necessarily prove anything. Stories glorifying Zhao Xiaowan often mentioned the Flying General Camp, regardless of which troop she actually led. It had become her signature.

Yan Hong’er’s voice was sonorous and powerful. Li Banfeng praised her, "Hong’er, have you ever considered becoming a storyteller?"

Yan Hong’er had actually thought about it. "Shopkeeper, I really want to try! Just listen to my storytelling! Legend has it that the Flying General Zhao Xiaowan went alone to Thousand Pearls Mountain. Facing a horde of fearsome bandits, she showed no trace of fear, her spear thrusting straight at their leader..."

She recounted the story of Zhao Xiaowan’s solo venture into Thousand Pearls Mountain.

Stories about Zhao Xiaowan were not uncommon, but the one Yan Hong’er told was of superior quality, with a thrilling and captivating plot. 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

The story’s setting seemed to be the present day, and it mentioned a specific place: Thousand Pearls Mountain.

Thousand Pearls Mountain was home to a group of utterly evil bandits. Li Banfeng had noted this place; he had originally intended to go there to buy some vegetables to nourish his wife, but recent, incessant trivial matters had left him no time.

The fact that this was written into a story showed just how much people detested the bandits of Thousand Pearls Mountain.

Li Banfeng asked, "How many Bandit Soldiers are there on Thousand Pearls Mountain? If we brought them all back, would it be enough for the whole city to get a change of flesh and bones?"

Yan Hong’er replied, "There were quite a few Bandit Soldiers, over three hundred of them. But those people are gone now; they’ve all been dealt with by the Flying General."

"She dealt with over three hundred people single-handedly?"

Yan Hong’er exclaimed with admiration, "The Flying General’s bravery is divine and unmatched in this world!"

"Is that just something made up in the novel?" Li Banfeng was somewhat skeptical.

Yan Hong’er brought over a newspaper. "Shopkeeper, it’s true! Look at the front-page news: the bandits of Thousand Pearls Mountain have been eradicated."

Li Banfeng read it. It was a newspaper from the New Year period. Back then, he was busy with Qiu Luoye’s rebirth and had no time to pay attention to the news.

The news report didn’t mention Zhao Xiaowan, only stating that the bandits were completely annihilated, with no survivors.

In the novel on the fourth page, Zhao Xiaowan was repeatedly mentioned. It was the same part of the story Yan Hong’er had recounted.

News on the front page, the novel on the fourth page... didn’t this story come out a bit too quickly?